Shelly's Recipe

CARAMEL CHOCOLATE STREUSEL MUFFINS

Category: Muffins

Streusel
1/2 cup mini or 2/3 cup regular chocolate chips (I used 1/3 cup milk chocolate and 1/3 cup special dark)
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted and cooled
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Muffin
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly - divided use
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, aerated before measuring
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup light sour cream

Drizzle
3/4 cup caramel bits
2 tbsp half and half or milk
OR 3/4 cup purchased caramel sundae sauce

Preheat oven to 350. Place chopped pecans in a pie tin and into the cold oven. Set timer on 8 minutes to check pecans. Remove from oven and cool.

In medium mixing bowl, microwave butter on high for about 45 seconds, or just till almost melted. Take out 1 tbsp of the melted butter and put it into a small bowl for the topping. Turn oven temperature to 500. Prepare muffin tins by greasing and flouring or spray with flour-added non-stick cooking spray. For coated pans, spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray.

With fork, combine all streusel ingredients with the butter in small bowl. Set aside.

In large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Whisk the eggs into the cooled butter until smooth. Add the sour cream and vanilla and whisk again till smooth. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the liquids all at once. This is not your normal muffin batter. It will be thick but light and spongy. Do not over mix. It's ok to have lumps and much better to under beat muffin batter than to over beat it.

Put about 2 tbsp batter into each of 12 muffin cups. Top with about 2 tsp streusel, then about 2 tbsp more muffin batter, then 2 tsp streusel. Place muffins in oven and immediately reduce heat to 350. Bake for 14-17 minutes or till toothpick inserted in center of muffin returns with just a few crumbs. Cool in pans for 5 minutes, and then remove muffins to rack to finish cooling completely. Put a large baking pan underneath the cake rack to catch the caramel sauce drips. Cleaning the pan will be easier than cleaning up a sticky counter top.

Make caramel drizzle: In a microwave melt the caramel bits with the half and half just till it bubbles up. Remove and stir vigorously. If caramel bits are still too sticky, microwave once again till it bubbles and stir again. When sauce is smooth and easy to work with, drizzle over cooled muffins. If this sounds like too much work, just buy a jar of caramel sundae sauce. Microwave 3/4 cup till it bubbles once, stir and drizzle over the muffins.