Chocolate vanilla muffins with an autumn twist

Ingredients

• 200 g flour
• 30 g cocoa powder (unsweetened)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 0.25 tsp nutmeg
• Pinch of salt
• 100 g dark chocolate (minimum 60%)
• 100 g softened butter
• 150 g light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 150 ml buttermilk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• For the vanilla swirl: 150 g cream cheese (at room temperature)
• 50 g powdered sugar
• Seeds from 1 vanilla bean
• 50 g chopped pecans

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease the muffin tin with a little butter or use muffin liners.Melt the dark chocolate au bain-marie or in the microwave in 30-second intervals. Stir well between intervals and let cool slightly.In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and a pinch of salt.In another bowl, beat the butter and light brown sugar until airy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well. Stir in the melted chocolate, followed by the buttermilk and vanilla extract.Fold the dry mixture gently into the wet mixture. Stir just until combined — no more, or the muffins will become tough.Make the vanilla swirl: beat the cream cheese smooth with the powdered sugar and the vanilla seeds. Put this into a piping bag or a small zip-top bag.Divide the chocolate batter among the 12 cups of the muffin tin, filling them about two-thirds full. Press a small amount of vanilla cream onto each muffin and drag a swirl through it with a toothpick.Finally, sprinkle a few chopped pecans over the muffins for a crunchy autumn touch.Bake the muffins for 20 to 22 minutes in the middle of the oven. Insert a skewer to check if they're done. Let them cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack.Serve warm or at room temperature, optionally with an extra dusting of powdered sugar or a few marzipan autumn leaves as decoration.