Chocolate Goat Cheese Espresso Muffins

Goat cheese makes them tangy yet creamy.  Espresso adds punch.  

UPDATED 2019
Not all of my experiments make it on to the blog, but Lin -- I take something to her on Mondays when we paint ---likes these muffins so much, she asked me to post the recipe.   

I started thinking about using goat cheese as an ingredient because I saw a goat cheese brownie recipe, and thought it would also work as a muffin.    And if I added espresso then they might stay more like an adult breakfast muffin, than dessert.  I did not want them to be too sweet.  

---Barbara

Chocolate Goat Cheese Espresso Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

8 T. (1 stick) butter, melted
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour or cake flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 - 2 T. espresso powder, as desired
1/2 c. cocoa powder, Hershey's is fine
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 c. plus 1 T. sugar
2-3 ounces crumbled goat cheese
1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
raw sugar to sprinkle on top before baking

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease muffin pan.  Makes 12 large muffins.

Melt the butter in the microwave, and let it cool.  In a large bowl, whisk two eggs together and add the vanilla and cooled butter, and whisk until frothy.

Measure out your buttermilk and then add the espresso powder to it and whisk it together until it dissolves.

Measure out your dry ingredients, except the sugar, in another bowl and be sure to whisk them together to evenly distribute the leavening ingredients and the salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the butter and egg mixture, and stir until it is about half mixed.

On top of this mixture, add the chocolate chips, the goat cheese, the sugar. 

Then pour buttermilk with espresso over everything

Using a large spatula, gently mix it all together, just until it combined.  Be sure your batter is wet enough.  If it is too dry, add another 1/4 cup of buttermilk and gently mix it in.

Divide into 12 portions, using a 1/3 measuring cup. If you want smoother muffins than I made you can you a ice cream scoop or smooth the tops before baking.

Sprinkle raw sugar on top for crunch.

Bake for 25 minutes, or a little longer if they seem wet, but do not overbake. 

Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then remove to a rack to continue to cool.

Best when served warm.  Great with your morning coffee.

B