Chocolate Centre Muffins

Source: Chocoholic.com

This delightful recipe comes to us from the UK from Steffi Joynson, Staffordshire. We are supplying the metric equivalents so you don't have to dig up your cookbooks for conversion tables! These rich little cakes are terrific for Valentine's Day.

2 cups self-rising flour (or use regular flour but add 1 Tablespoon of non-alkalized cocoa and 1/2 teaspoon baking SODA (not powder, believe it or not, in this case)
1/2 cup caster sugar (or super-fine)
120g grated milk chocolate (4 oz)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla essence (vanilla extract)
80g unsalted butter, melted and cooled (6 Tablespoons, but if not using self-rising flour you will need to use salted butter)
1 cup sour cream
100g dark chocolate, broken into squares (3 to 4 oz)
2 Tablespoons dark chocolate drops (chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 180 deg. C (between 350 and 375 deg. F)

Brush a bit of melted butter or oil into 15 1/2-cup capacity muffin cups.

Place flour, sugar, milk chocolate, eggs, vanilla, butter, and sour cream into a mixing bowl. Beat for one minute on low until combined, then beat on high for one more minute.

Spoon half the mixture into muffin cups. Then add a square of the dark chocolate to each cup, and top with remaining mixture. Press several chocolate chips onto the top of the mixture in each cup. Bake for 15 minutes, until puffy. They will still be gooey inside.

Eat whilst still warm for the runny centre or cool on a wire rack. (These are also good with a really high-quality vanilla ice-cream.)