Post-Thanksgiving chocolate chip breakfast muffins

Before I discuss the recipe I want to share with you today let me tell you a little bit more about my day. I went out to grab a few things for a some post-Thanksgiving round two recipes. As usually I left with a grocery list but ended up browsing around the store, which led me to one third of my basket not being on my list... Among those items I found... Speculoos cookie butter. Oh my!!!! Trader Joe's et carrying Speculoos cookie butter!!!! I have read quite a bit about it and was already drooling, I made a little happy dance, put it in my basket and headed to check out. I could hardly resist the urge of opening the container and taste it on the way home but as soon I got there I could not contain my self anymore so I took a spoon to it... I don't know how to describe what happened next but it was heaven in my mouth and fireworks in my head... Now I need a good hiding place so I am not tempted to have a spoon of it every time I see it.

This will so be part of my Christmas care packages!!! if you have a Trader Joe's in your neighborhood, follow my advise and run get some before they run out, I might empty their stock of it, I am warning you... I am kind of scared it's only a temporary item for the holiday, it did say "new".

Now let's talk about that recipe. The original recipe is this mini chocolate chip maple pancake cupcakes, I made them for breakfast a while back for breakfast minus the icing. The result was addictive, light bites. I tend to like big muffins for breakfast every once in a while but they tend to be dense so I thought I would try that recipe and it turned out delicious, a little too chocolaty actually so I will leave it up to you but personally I will use 1/4 c next time.

Ingredients:
- 1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature

- 1/2 c sugar

- 1 1/2 c cake flour

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1/2 cup maple syrup

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 2 large eggs

- 1/3 c milk

- 1/4 to 1/2 c mini chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F

Cream the butter and sugar being careful not to over mix it otherwise your mixture will curdle when you add the liquid.

 Mix the dry dry ingredients, flour, baking power and salt.

 Stir just enough of the flour mixture in the chocolate chips to coat them (about 1tsp). Aren't mini chocolate chips adorable?!!!

 Slowly add the maple syrup, vanilla extract, eggs and milk. Whisking well after each addition until well combines. Add slowly in order not to waste 1/2 c of maple syrup if your mixture curdles. Your mixture might curdle a bit but this is not a drama, it will come together once you add the flour mixture.

Add the flour mixture 1/2 c at a time, mix until just combined

 Stir in the chocolate chips

 Line muffins tin with cupcake liners and fill the liners about 3/4 c full of batter (about 5 large size cupcakes). Bake for about 30 min, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

Take out of the oven and let sit for a few minutes to slightly cool down. They are great at room temperature as well, they firm up just a tiny bit. Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!!! All 5 were gone by the end of the day.