Morning Mocha

Over two months ago now (My, how time flies!) I finally caved in to the temptation of the recipe for Mocha Chip Muffins beckoning from within the pages of Vegan With a Vengence. Although I’m not so big on chocolate, and especially not for something I might try to pass off as “breakfast,” I figured that since it included instant espresso powder, it certainly couldn’t be such a dive.

To take the chocolate down atleast a notch or two, I opted to replace the chocolate chips in favor of toasted hazelnuts. (Can you tell I bough one huge bag, or what?) Since it was my first time trying these muffins, I figured it would be a better idea if I halved the recipe. I can only eat so many muffins in a short stretch of time, too. I would hate to waste wonderful muffins if they happen to go stale while waiting patiently for their time at the table.

So I whipped up the batter and cheerfully shoved them into a screaming hot oven and watched as they rose beautifully in their little metal orifices. A few happy minutes passed where all was well and thoughts of happy muffins danced through my head… And then I realized – Like a grade A space cadet, I had dutifully halved the whole recipe… Except for the nuts. Okay… not an immense tragedy, they were just much nuttier than I had intended.

With a half cup instead of quarter, the hazelnuts actually seemed to be relatively consistantly dispersed. I suppose that if I were to make them again, I would probably double my add-ins of choice once more.

I can’t say I wasn’t fully expecting it, but they really were much too rich to become a regular breakfast staple. In fact, they could have truly passed as cupcakes, even without frosting. Maybe next time I should do a bit less cocoa but more espresso, as that was the flavor I was really hoping to experience in the first place.

But hey, if you do want a true dessert-for-breakfast indulgence, why don’t you grab your homemade Nutella and slather it on thick? Of course, I just happened to have enough left over to test this innovation…

…Just looking at that picture, I don’t think I really need to describe the taste.

Half of the recipe yeiled about six and a half muffins… Well, to be more precise, six medium muffins and one little midget muffin. Although I left them in the oven for an extra five minutes or so, no damage was done, and if anything the slightly crisper edges made for a nice overall texture. Definitely not one to miss, even if you Mocha Chip Muffins don’t actually have any chips in them.