Chocolate Chip and Goji Berry Yogurt Muffins

So a friend got me obsessing about muffins when she complained about the orange poppy seed one she bought. I’m probably gonna get things together and work on a recipe of one for her with a tangy glaze and everything to be what she thought she was getting with the other. But as I have no oranges and wasn’t sure how fab a muffin I could make with just store bought oj and poppy seeds, so I rummage what I do have and while it’s entirely no longer related to the inspiration, I make these little babies… So if you enjoy these, you can thank the lovely Sarah.

Oh and technically, these are probably not really muffins as I didn’t make them with the standard muffin method or the biscuit method or any other quick bread method–I used rather more of a cake method with the creaming and such–but come on who calls it a cupcake when you’re eating it for breakfast…

Chocolate Chip and Goji Berry Yogurt Muffins
1 c dried Goji Berries (soaked overnight in 1 c sparking apple juice, regular works great but this is what I had)
1 c vanilla yogurt (plain works; let sit at room temp 30 mins–before or after mixing batter, I did before but the Pops often do after so I know it’s great that way too)
1/2 c dark chocolate chips (a little over powering, nearly eclipsed the gogi berries might want to cut back/out or use a strong flavored berry–like raspberry maybe)
1 tsp vanilla ex
1 stick (1/2 c) butter, room temp (for fluffier muffins use half butter, half margarine–but use a bigger bowl as the creaming stage will create a lot of volume)
1/2-3/4 c sugar
2 eggs, room temp
1.5-1.75 c flour
2 tsp bkg pwd
1 tsp bkg soda
1/8 tsp-ish salt

Drain the berries, I let them drain for the 30 mins the yogurt was standing so they’d get drier but that clearly isn’t necessary. Then mix berries, yogurt, vanilla and chocolate chips in one bowl…while you set to work on the rest. Preheat the oven to 350. Cream the butter and sugar together. When fluffy and no longer grainy, add the eggs 1 at a time beating well. Then stir in the yogurt mixture and sift in the dry ingredients in 3 batches, stirring just until well incorporated. Fill your muffin cups (we used those silicone liners on a jelly roll pan so as to not have to fuss with filling any empty cups with water, and to be able to make all in one batch-woohoo. Now I made 21, because of my multiples of seven obsession, but you can adjust your filling to make an even number.) about 2/3 to 3/4 full and bake about 20 min or until the tops are springy to the touch. Cool on a rack, so as not to burn oneself with molten chocolate, and take a moment to appreciate the muffin.

While this batch will never see the inside of the freezer (I personally ate four for breakfast, and there are 4 other people to help eat them) I definitely think the Hubs and I need to start making some muffins for the freezer to prep for the coming school morning breakfasts.