Hey guys! We’re kicking off another year of recipes today with these Chocolate Pistachio Muffins! They are super easy, and I’ve got a couple of simple tricks to make sure they turn out completely fantastic.

These muffins are studded with chunks of dark chocolate and roughly chopped pistachios for the perfect flavor combo. Plus, they’re topped with sugar to get that lightly crisp top with a fluffy center. Let’s get to baking!

How to Make Chocolate Pistachio Muffins

These muffins come together super quickly, and it’s all done by hand, which helps prevent over-mixing along the way! We’re starting by stirring together the dry ingredients- that’s the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.

Over in a smaller bowl, stir together the milk, melted butter, vanilla extract, and eggs. Pour it into the dry mixture and fold it together using a rubber spatula until it’s starting to come together, but there are still pockets of flour left.

That’s the perfect time to add in your chocolate chunks and pistachios. It allows the mix-ins to get lightly coated in flour as you stir everything together, which helps prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins.

Part of the reason we are mixing by hand is because it’s super important to avoid over-mixing here. So, stir in the chocolate and pistachios until they are well incorporated, and there are no dry pockets of flour remaining. Next is the hardest part- we’re going to let the batter rest for at least 30 minutes before scooping and baking. It’s important, trust me!

Finally, scoop them evenly into your muffin tin, and top with a generous sprinkle of extra sugar. Bake them up until golden and beautiful, and enjoy!

Tips & Tricks for High-Altitude Pistachio Muffins

Muffins are super easy, and you’ll get the perfect tall tops if you follow a few important tips!

• Mix the batter by hand and not with an electric mixer of any kind. You should have a slightly lumpy batter, and it’s important to avoid over-mixing to ensure that you have a tender muffin!
• What kind of chocolate should I use? I like to use a dark chocolate bar, chopped into chunks. I went for a 70% dark bar, but you can use any chocolate you like here, and chips are fine too if you prefer!
• Add the mix-ins before the batter is fully mixed. This allows them to get a light coating of flour while you stir everything together. This flour coating will help prevent the mix-ins from sinking to the bottom of the muffins as they bake.
• Rest the muffin batter. This allows the baking powder to begin it’s work before it even hits the oven, and it’s what gives these muffins their tall tops! For years I’ve struggled to get the perfect domed-top-muffins, and this is the trick that works every time.
• Top with sugar for the crispy top. You can use either normal granulated sugar, or even coarse sugar. Both offer a different texture, and both are completely lovely!
• I’m at about 5,000 ft. above sea level, and I find that most people who are between about 3,000 ft- 7,000 ft above sea level do not need to make any further adjustments to my recipes.

I hope you guys enjoy this one! I’m ready to keep baking this year, and hopefully we’ll be able to share our bakes with more friends as the year moves forward. Enjoy!

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Chocolate Pistachio Muffins

Servings 12 muffins

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2/3 cup sugar (plus more for topping)
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup milk (2% or whole, or a nut milk)
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped pistachios
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped dark chocolate

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt, and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the milk, melted butter, vanilla extract, and eggs until combined.

2. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and gently stir together using a spatula until partially mixed, but some flour pockets remain. Add in the pistachios and chocolate, and continue to mix by hand until just combined, being careful to avoid over-mixing.

3. Cover the batter and rest at room temperature for 30-45 minutes. Don't skip this step- it ensures that you get tall, domed, muffins. While the batter rests, preheat your oven to 400 degrees, and line a muffin tin with liners, or generously grease the pan if not using liners.

4. Once the batter has rested, scoop the batter into the muffins cups evenly. The batter should come almost to the top of each muffin cup, and there should be enough for 12 standard sized muffins. Generously sprinkle the tops with more sugar, and bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes, or until golden. A toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin should come out with just a few crumbs.

5. Once the muffins come out of the oven, give them a little twist while they are still warm to ensure they don't stick to the pan. Cool and enjoy!

Dough-Eyed

Hello and welcome! My name is Nicole, and Dough-eyed is a food blog for people who want to bake for their family and friends in high-altitude areas. Think of me as a friendly voice there with you in the kitchen, here to give you confidence when you’re baking, and to help you with the struggles of baking at high-altitude. Come back every week for new recipes, tips, and advice on high-altitude baking!