It’s Totally Ok to Have These Stout and Rye Chocolate Muffins with Breakfast

These stout and rye chocolate muffins are a result of a happy accident. I had extra stout leftover from testing other recipes and was looking for a way to use it up. These muffins are dense but soft, and to me there’s nothing better than biting into a cool chocolate muffin early in the morning. It reminds me of when I would sneak some from the cafe fridge during my 6am barista days during college!

To anyone who thinks it’s strange to feature stout with a breakfast recipe, I have several things to say. First, it’s 5 o’clock somewhere, the alcohol disappears during baking, and the beer deepens the chocolate flavor. (Also, did you know that a pint of Guinness has less calories than skim milk or orange juice?). Second, I have no qualms about enjoying a chocolate muffin at any time of day, and neither should you. Third, hey – with the addition of rye flour, these are actually pretty nutrient dense. While we of course love our all-purpose flour, sometimes it’s fun to change it up and bake with different grains. 

Ya girl is a fiend – A FIEND – for dark chocolate, and all flavors rich and deep. These stout and rye chocolate muffins satisfy that craving – with a touch of whole grains for good measure. The earthy taste of rye in this recipe goes so well with the stout and cocoa. While the cacao nibs and mini chocolate chips are optional, I highly recommend that you include them. The nibs crisp up in the oven and add such a great texture to these muffins. Also, don’t chocolate chips just make everything better? If you unabashedly enjoy chocolate at breakfast like I do, give these muffins a try and let us know what you think!

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Stout and Rye Chocolate Muffins

Yield: 12

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

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Ingredients

• ½ cup cornstarch
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder
• ½ cup dark brown sugar
• 1 cup stout beer of choice
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter, cubed
• 4 oz bittersweet chocolate (at least 60%), chopped
• 1 cup wholegrain rye flour (or whole wheat if you prefer)
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup cane sugar
• 2 tbsp cacao nibs (optional but soooo good), to sprinkle on top
• 2 tbsp mini chocolate chips (if, like me, you can’t resist)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a muffin tray with paper liners.
2. Place the cornstarch, cocoa, brown sugar and stout into a medium saucepan and whisk together constantly over medium heat until boiling and quite thick. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter and chocolate until thoroughly combined.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
4. Add the oil, vanilla and eggs to the chocolate mixture and stir well. Fold in the sugar and continue stirring until the mixture is smooth and thick. Fold in the flour mixture and stir until no clumps remain.
5. Spoon the batter into muffin liners, and sprinkle the tops with cacao nibs. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops have puffed and are dry to the touch — yet still a touch jiggly in the center. Let cool on a wire rack before serving.
6. If you have extra stout leftover, you can make a syrup to drizzle on top of the muffins. Simmer equal parts of stout and maple syrup on your stove until you achieve your desired thickness, and drizzle on the muffins. 
7. Any leftovers can be easily frozen in a sealed container. Enjoy! 

Notes: 

Recipe adapted from A Sweet Spoonful https://asweetspoonful.com/2014/01/tiny-celebrations.html