Liquid Cocaine (Espresso and White Chocolate) Muffins

Having fun with muffins:  Our Muffin Monday ingredient today is coffee.  My younger daughter/art director suggested that I research alternative Starbucks recipes and then turn one of them into a muffin.  (The photo set up above was also her brilliant idea.)  Who knew there is a whole list of secret drinks that aren’t on the Starbucks menu?  Neither did I!  But a simple search turned up lots of fun and delicious choices.  I couldn’t resist the one called Liquid Cocaine.

Here’s how to get one at your nearest Starbucks:  Order 4 shots of espresso and 4 pumps of white chocolate syrup over ice in a grande cold cup.  Stir and enjoy.

Or make these muffins.

Ingredients
1 cup or 160g white chocolate chips (reserve about 1/8 cup or  20g to sprinkle on muffins before baking)
2 cups or 250g flour
1 cup or 225g sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup or 80ml milk
4 shots espresso (1/2 cup or 120ml), cooled
1/2 cup canola or 120ml other light oil
1 egg

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°f or 180°C and prepare your 12-cup muffin pan by greasing or lining it with muffin papers.

Put your white chocolate chips (reserving some to sprinkle on before baking) in a microwaveable bowl.  With the microwave on 50 percent power, heat for about 1 minute.  Remove from the oven and stir.  If it’s not completely melted, microwave for 30 seconds more.  Stir well and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine your flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

In another small mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, canola, egg and espresso.

Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ones, until just mixed.  Some flour may still show.

Pour the melted white chocolate into the bowl and fold gently until just mixed.  There should still be some swirls of while showing a little bit.

Divide your batter between the 12 cups.

Sprinkle with the reserved white chocolate chips.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Allow to cool in the pan for a few minutes and them remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy the pick-me-up!

Muffin Monday is an initiative by Baker Street, a culinary journey of sharing a wickedly delicious muffin recipe every week.  Drop Anuradha a quick line to join her on this journey to make the world smile and beat glum Monday mornings week after week.  Make sure to go and check out what my fellow bloggers have come up with this week!

Plus learn all you ever need to know about muffins, right here at Muffin 101.