chocolate chip muffins

You’ve heard me say a dozen times what a terrible cook I am, but as it turns out, I really enjoy baking. As a kid I made the occasional batch of chocolate chip cookies, though more often than not we just ate the batter with spoons. My mom is a master baker and I’m hoping to eventually tackle her recipe for Hungarian nut roll — a Christmas tradition in our family — but I’m working my way up to that. On Sunday, as I sat waiting for a few layers of paint to dry for a project I’m working on (more on that next week), I decided to try my hand at muffins. I used this basic recipe from Simple Bites and added dark chocolate morsels (I also substituted lemon juice since I was out of white vinegar). My husband was a bit skeptical about the oats, but they were so moist and filled with chocolatey goo even he couldn’t resist. Think I’ll perfect the art of baking by Christmas?

my favorite tip from the recipe blog was doubling up on baking pans. i placed a cookie sheet underneath the muffin pan for perfectly golden (not burnt) bottoms. genius.