Strawberry Chocolate Chip Muffins & Derpy Hooves

Today I came home and decided to eat some strawberries.  I have been buying strawberries every time I go to the store which is often as I like grocery shopping and think it's fun to shop day to day (even though that really isn't really economical...but, hey, it makes me happy!).  What doesn't make me happy?  Coming home to mushy strawberries.  I will, and have, eaten green unripe strawberries.  Mushy berries though are icky.

Unhappy Fruit

Strawberries can be expensive and no mushy berry is going to prevent me from obtaining some form of joy from them.  So I gathered them up, took pictures of their ugly asses and baked them into muffins.  Actually they weren't all bad.  Not too pretty and a little too ripe for good eatin' but delicious in baked goods.

My favorite fruit is strawberry and my favorite muffin is chocolate chip.  So wham-o!  Strawberry chocolate chip muffins.  They're Derpy Hooves approved...

See?  derpy is crazy for muffins, especially my muffins!  Okay, okay!  I exaggerate.  Derpy loves all muffins.  Well, at leats that what my husband the resident Brony tells me.  He is always spotting Derpy in the background of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.  Since I am always multitasking I miss her. Sadness.

Anyways...if you want to make these muffins you'll need quite a lot of ingredients.  A lot.  Quite a lot.  Well, more than I would have thought one would need for muffins.  Just sayin.

First you have the dry ingredients, the flour, salt, baking soda and some nutmeg.  Don't be lame like me and use the already ground stuff.  The nutmeg you have to grate yourself is much better.  Then grab some eggs, room temp butter and brown sugar.

Chocolate chips, vanilla extract, Greek yogurt...hmm...what else?

Oh yeah!  Strawberries!  Lots of strawberries macerating in a ton of sugar.  Gotta get those juices flowing.  You'll use that juice for added flavor and to loosin up the batter a bit along with the yogurt.

Combine all the dry ingredients.  Remember, sugar is considered a liquid.  I learned that on Alton Brown's Good Eats shows on the Food Network.  I love that show!

The strawberries should have been sitting in sugar for the past hour.  Give them a good stir every once in a while to get that sugar good and liquified.

 

Combine all the dry ingredients with all the wet.  Don't over mix.  A little lumpiness is okay.  Fold in the chocolate chips and strawberries.

Looks like pancake batter.  Hmm, I wonder if Derpy would approve of pancakes?

Divvy up batter into a muffin tin.  I got 12 large muffins.  If you have some coarse sugar sprinkle it on.  Cinnamon would also be yummy on top.

Usually my muffins stick to the wrappers.  I didn't even coat them with Pam or butter and they fell right out.  I'm using parchment paper for muffin papers from now on.  All you have to do is cut parchment paper in 6 inch squares, form around a small flat bottomed juice glass (or similar cylindrical object) and stuff in the muffin tin.

 

These muffins were very moist and flavorful.  I think the yogurt helps keep them moist longer.  Not these muffins hung around very long.  I think I ate one.  My husband devoured these and begged for more.  I made chocolate chip peanut butter cookies instead because I'm evil like that *Muhahaha*  They were delicious too.

Dear Princess Celestia, 

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Muffins

adapted from this recipe from allrecipes.com

1 1/2 cups chopped fresh strawberries
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt                                                             
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

In a small bowl, combine the strawberries and 1/2 cup sugar. Set aside for 1 hour. Drain, reserving liquid and berries separately. 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Grease a 12 cup muffin tin, or line with paper liners. 

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and 1/4 cup brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla and yogurt. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and nutmeg; stir into the creamed mixture alternately with the juice from the berries. Gently stir in the berries. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.