Cappuccino Muffins

Every year the few days after Christmas become clean up and organize days for me. I'm ready for the tree to come down and have my house back to normal again. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas and all the decorations that come along with it, but after a month of it, my obsessive compulsive side starts to creep back in and I need to clean it all up.

I am resisting taking the tree down cause my friend Tati always yells and me and tell me I have to leave it up until after New Years, which kills me, but I'm trying to leave it up for her sake. We'll see.

Part of my clean up project yesterday was re-arranging my computer room. I'm on the hunt for a new desk (in black) and wanted to move all the furniture around and really give the room a good cleaning. Unfortunately for John this meant spending over an hour behind the computer desk unplugging wires. I got a nifty label maker for Christmas so I was happily spitting out labels for each little wire he brought to me. Now everything is neat and organized and labeled. Makes me so happy.

Later that night I scoured through my cookbooks for ideas for my New Years Eve party. We are doing mostly appetizers and picky foods, but a party at my house always includes dessert. In my search I came across a recipe I had clipped out for Cappuccino Muffins. Although it wasn't a New Years Eve food I decided I needed to give these a try. So this morning I whipped up a batch. My house smelled like a Starbucks. The cappuccino smell that was coming from the kitchen was so yummy. Evan's friend had slept over. The boys stumbled down the stairs, popped a few into their mouths and declared them delicious!

These are a snap to make, are loaded with little explosions of chocolate and have a rich cappuccino taste. If I drank coffee I'm sure I'd say they go great with coffee, but I'm not a coffee drinker so I have to say they go great with milk!

Cappuccino Muffins - makes about 16

Printable recipe
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), melted
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

In a bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl combine the milk and instant coffee and stir until dissolved. Melt the butter and let it cool for a few minutes. Add the egg and vanilla to the butter and mix lightly. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix just until moistened. Please don't over mix your muffins....terrible things will happen!

Fold in the mini chips. Fill a paper lined muffin cup 2/3 full. Bake at 375 for 17 - 20 minutes, or until muffin tests done. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to wire rack to cool.