Bakery Style Tahini Chocolate Chip Muffins
Update (07/10/2020): This recipe was reformulated and retested to create a better muffin.
These Tahini Chocolate Chip Muffins are quick to make and seriously delicious! These fluffy muffins feature tahini in the batter, giving that delicious nutty flavor that blends to beautifully with all the mini chocolate chips! The best part about these Tahini Chocolate Chip Muffins? How easy they are to make! They require just 2 bowls (one for wet and one for dry) and no special gadgets or processes! The wet ingredients are just mixed into the dry and then baked up into fluffy, delicious, chocolate perfection!
WHAT IS TAHINI?
Tahini is a condiment that is made from toasted sesame seeds! Tahini can be made at home, or can easily be found in most grocery stores. It tastes, quite literally, like concentrated sesame seeds. Now you might be thinking – sesame seed muffins? I know, I know, it sounds kind of weird, but I swear it is magical! Adding the sweet, chocolatey flavors of Chocolate Chip Muffins perfectly compliment the tahini, taking it from a more savory ingredient to one that perfectly compliments the sweet flavors. The way I like to describe tahini is similar to peanut butter. Peanuts, without the added sweetness, are typically a savory ingredient, but add a little sugar (in the form of sweet peanut butter, for example) and you have a whole other story! An ingredient that just screams ‘perfect for desserts’. Same goes for tahini!
Furthermore, these Tahini Chocolate Chip Muffins, as the name suggests, has chocolate in it! Tahini and chocolate were made for each other! The combo is like a grown-up version of Nutella – it’s just a tad bit nuttier, which makes it excellent for use Chocolate Chip Muffins!
Tall Muffin Tops
The purpose of placing the Tahini Chocolate Chip Muffins into a higher temperature oven and then turning down the heat, is that it creates a taller muffin top without overcooking them. By placing the Tahini Chocolate Chip Muffins in a super hot oven, the muffins rapidly rise up, creating a taller muffin. However, if we baked the Tahini Chocolate Chip Muffins at this hot temperature the entire time, the bottoms and tops would likely burn before the insides were properly cooked – therefore the oven temperature is reduced to prevent burning and uneven baking.
HOLD THE GLUTEN, PLEASE
In making these Tahini Chocolate Chip Muffins you do not want to overmix as you do not want to overwork the gluten either, because who wants a chewy muffin! Gluten in flour is activated by the presence of water, and strengthened by physical agitation. This is why you knead bread dough! While gluten development is important in some foods, in something like muffins, you want the gluten development to be absolutely minimal, ensuring a tender, soft muffin! So when adding the wet ingredients to the dry, it is crucial to only mix the batter until it just becomes smooth!
Making the Tahini Chocolate Chip Muffins
1.Whisk together the dry ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, both sugars, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. Whisk together the wet ingredients: In a separate large bowl or large measuring cup, add the eggs, sour cream, melted butter, tahini, and vanilla. Whisk the wet ingredients together until they are well-combined and smooth.
3. Add wet to dry: Pour the wet ingredients into the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients. Using a wooden spoon, mix the batter together until it smooth and well-combined, but be careful not to overmix!
4. Fold in chocolate chips: Add the chocolate chips to the batter, then using a spatula, fold the chocolate chips until they are well dispersed throughout the batter.
5. Bake: Evenly distribute the batter into the cupcake pans, then sprinkle with coarse sugar, and place into the oven to bake. Be sure to turn your oven down as soon as you place the muffins in to bake!
Get the Recipe: Tahini Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240g) All Purpose Flour,, † measured correctly
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 cup White Sugar
- 1/2 cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 5 tbsp Unsalted Butter,, melted
- 1/4 cup Tahini, (if separated in jar make sure to mix it together before adding)
- 1 cup Sour Cream
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 ½ tsp Vanilla
- 2/3 cup Mini Chocolate Chips
- Coarse White Sugar, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Prepare a muffin tin with liners.
- Meanwhile, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, white sugar, and brown sugar, to a large mixing bowl. Whisk until well-combined.
- In a separate bowl, add the melted butter, tahini, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla, and beat with a whisk until it has formed a smooth consistency. Add this wet mixture to the dry mixture, then mix with a wooden spoon, until combined, but ensure not to overmix. Add chocolate chips, then fold into batter with a spatula.
- Evenly disperse the batter into the cupcake liners, then sprinkle each muffin with coarse sugar. Place into the 425°F oven, and immediately turn the oven temperature down to 350°F, and bake for 16-18 minutes.
Notes
Source: Adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction
That sounds like an awful lot of sugar and baking powder. How would it affect the recipe to cut it to 2/3 cup sugar and 1 or 2 tsp baking powder? I don’t like muffins too sweet, and I’m not particularly fond of the taste of baking powder. I’m also a bit surprised to see buttermilk without any baking soda; is that to reduce browning and get a paler muffin?
Hi there, I haven’t tested them with less sugar, but I’m sure it wont affect them too much – they’re meant to be a sweeter muffin though. As for the baking powder, you can substitute 1 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp baking powder instead of the 4 tsp baking powder. When testing these I didn’t find the 4tsp baking powder had an adverse effect on the taste, but if you are sensitive to the taste feel free to substitute. The reason I used baking powder instead of just baking soda was really just down to conversions, 1.25 tsp of BS was too little, but 1.5 tsp of BS was too much – therefore 4 tsp of BP was the best conversion.