MOCHA MUFFINS, ADAPTED

Joy of Baking.com had this recipe on its website, and they looked pretty good. I love coffee and chocolate together, so I thought I would give them a try. The photo they showed was more of a milk-chocolate look, but in actuality, the muffins were very dark, not that it mattered. I like these a lot. They're not too sweet and they have a nice flavor. Like all muffins, they're quick and easy, and you don't even have to get out your mixer. While they're not my top fave, they're a good muffin recipe and a little
different with the chips and nuts.
The only disappointment I had was
with the white chips. I couldn't really
taste them. I think the other flavors just overpowered the delicate white chips. So, if I made these again, I would just use all semi-sweet chocolate chips and save my white chips for a recipe were they could shine. I made some changes to reduce the fat and sugar content, as usual. If you make these, watch the time closely because they get done more quickly than you think they will.

Mocha Muffins, Adapted
Rating: 8 out of 10
3 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk (I used what I had: 3/4 cup fat-free half & half + 1/4 cup lite sour cream)
3/4 cup safflower or canola oil (I used 1/4 cup melted butter+1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce)
1/2 cup strong black coffee (I used 2 Tbsp. coffee essence* + enough FF half&half to equal 1/2 cup)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
1/3 cup Dutch processed cocoa powder (I used Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder)
1 cup light brown sugar (I used 1/2 cup dark brown sugar + 1-1/4 tsp. Stevia)
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 ts. sea salt
1 cup pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped and toasted
(I used walnuts and did not toast them; should have)
1 cup semi-sweet and/or white chocolate chips (I used half of each, but better choice is all semi-sweet, since the white chips do not stand out in this recipe.)
Extra chocolate chips for tops of muffins
2 Tbsp. sugar for tops of muffins

Preheat oven to 475F. Position rack in center of oven. Spray 18 muffin wells with non-stick cooking spray; set aside. Have all ingredients at room temperature before mixing.
In large measuring cup or bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, oil (or melted butter and applesauce) coffee and vanilla extract.
In another large bowl, combine the flours, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in the nuts and chocolate chips. With a rubber spatula fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir only until everything is just barely combined. Do not overmix -- don't look for a perfect batter, lumps and some flour showing are ok. Too much mixing makes a tough muffin.
Evenly fill the muffin wells with the batter, using about 1/4 cup for each. Sprinkle extra chocolate chips on top of muffins and top each with a sprinkle of white sugar. Place in the oven and immediately reduce heat to 350F. Bake 15-18 minutes, or till a toothpick inserted almost at center returns with just a few crumbs. (Mine took 16 minutes.) Let muffins sit in muffin tins for about 5 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack to finish cooling. Makes 18 regular-sized muffins.