Last month, Olympians — and the internet — went mad for chocolate muffins at the cafeteria in the Olympic Village. We watched world-class athletes devour these gooey, sticky, giant muffins oozing with chocolate ganache. Since then, professional and amateur bakers have re-created that recipe for those viral treats. But can we call it a muffin? Isn’t it more like a cupcake? What if we turned this indulgent treat into something more wholesome but just as chocolatey for those of us who aren’t burning 5,000 calories a day like Olympic swimmers?
For me, muffins are not cake. They ought to be crumbly, hearty, delicious treats that don’t feel like a full-on dessert. So, I put my spin on the viral chocolate muffin. I swapped regular flour for whole-grain buckwheat flour, a naturally gluten-free flour that perfectly pairs with rich chocolate. (Yes, these muffins just happen to be whole grain and gluten-free.) I use banana, Greek-style yogurt and olive oil for moisture. Instead of ganache, I stuff these muffins with peanut butter. And don’t worry, these still pack a punch of chocolate flavor. (I mean, who doesn’t love chocolate and peanut butter?) Finally, I top these muffins with buckwheat groats for crunch.
These muffins whip up fast, thanks to a simple, stir-together batter. Invest in a jumbo muffin tin to best replicate those glorious Parisian muffins. You can buy organic buckwheat flour and groats locally from Janie’s Mill in Ashkum, Illinois, or providers like Bob’s Red Mill.
Gold medal chocolate muffins
Time: About 40 minutes, plus cooling time
Yield: 6 jumbo muffins or 12 regular muffins
40 g (1/2 cup) Dutch-process cocoa powder
100 g (1/2 cup minus 1 tablespoon) hot coffee or boiling water
100 g (about 1 large) super-ripe peeled banana
120 g (1 cup) buckwheat flour
100 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
60 g (1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon) olive oil
1 large egg
60 g plain Greek-style yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
75 g chocolate chips
2 tablespoons hulled buckwheat groats
2 tablespoon turbinado sugar
About 1/2 cup peanut butter
Heat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the middle. Line six cavities of a jumbo muffin tin or 12 of a regular muffin tin with parchment liners or grease the muffin tin very well with butter.
In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder with the hot coffee or boiling water until smooth. Set aside. In another bowl, mash the banana with a fork until it looks like a puree with only a few chunks.
In a large mixing bowl (ideally one with a spout), whisk together the buckwheat flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the cocoa mixture, mashed banana, oil, egg, Greek yogurt and vanilla extract, then whisk everything thoroughly to combine. Buckwheat doesn’t have any gluten, so don’t fret about over-mixing. Stir in the chocolate chips with a spatula.
Divide the batter into the lined muffin tin. For jumbo muffins, take one heaping tablespoon of peanut butter and place it in the middle of each muffin, but don’t push it down; for regular muffins, use about 2 teaspoons of peanut butter. Sprinkle each jumbo muffin with about 1 teaspoon of buckwheat groats and about 1 teaspoon of coarse turbinado sugar (use half that amount for regular-sized muffins).
Bake until the muffins have risen (they won’t dome because of the peanut butter) and they gently spring back when you press them, around 20-22 minutes for regular-sized muffins and 23-26 minutes for jumbo muffins.
Allow them to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then remove them to a wire rack. These are best eaten when they’re still slightly warm, and the peanut butter is gooey. You’ll need a tall glass of cold milk. The muffins taste best on the same day but can last for up to two days, especially when reheated for 5-10 seconds in the microwave.
Martin Sorge is a freelance writer.
