Nutella Muffins

Italy may get the most attention when it comes to lunch and dinner — there’s bucatini all’amatriciana, la saltimbocca, and carciofi alla giudia in just Rome alone — but they’re also pretty exceptional when it comes to breakfast. The typical Italian colazione takes place at il bar — what we call in English a cafe’ — and generally consists of a coffee and something sweet. The bel paese does not disappoint, boasting treats including, but not limited to: the chocolate-studded saccottino, the cream-filled maritozzo, and the crescent-shaped cornetto, stuffed with pistachio cream, jam, or custard. If you’re me, you’ll go for a honey-filled cornetto integrale, or a cornetto made with a bit of whole wheat flour, to keep things “nutritious.” First meal of the day and all that.

The problems begin when you veer away from the Italian classics. Many Italian bar proffer “American” treats like frosted doughnuts (“just like Homer Simpson!” an Italian friend once commented), the occasional bagel, or muffins. While they may seem promising at first glance — a little piece of home after your umpteenth cornetto — I’ve always found that these treats leave much to be desired. While the more reasonable side of me says “That’s okay! We’re in Italy, after all!” another part of me leans more towards petulance in my disappointment, along the lines of “Why bother, if you’re not going to do them right?!” There’s no getting around that the doughnuts are dry and the icing an afterthought, the bagels steamed, not boiled and baked — it’s just bread with a hole in the middle — and the muffins are stodgy and lackluster. More specifically: perhaps there is no breakfast sweet more disappointing than the Typical-Nutella-Muffin-Found-in-a-Roman-Bar.

Allow me to explain: it’s not that the Italian attempt at a nutella muffin is even that much worse than their attempt at, say, the blueberry muffin. The true frustration lies in that it is a superb concept full of potential — a chocolate muffin stuffed with NUTELLA (!) — that misses the mark completely. The nutella muffins that look so shiny and promising from the display case are much less so once they’re on your plate and alongside your coffee. There’s only a hint of chocolate, and the muffin overall could benefit from a bit of salt or a dab of vanilla. The Nutella in the center is scarce, and the texture errs on the side of dry (nothing that a little dip into your cappuccino can’t solve, but still). I have the sneaking suspicion that they are industrialized, baked and packaged up by The Very Average Muffin Company somewhere in Italy.

If you want something done right then you should do it yourself, right? After a bit of huffing and puffing I took it upon myself to make The-Nutella-Muffins-I-Always-Hoped-To-Find-in Rome, and I’m so very glad that I did. My recipe doles out muffins that are soft and fluffy (thanks to milk and oil) but still decidedly, intensely fudgy, thanks to a heap of cocoa powder in the batter. The first few bites — seemingly of a chocolate muffin! — quickly go from delicious to divine once you encounter the generous dollop of gooey, oh-so-heavenly Nutella within. The sprinkling of mini chips over the muffin tops are not obligatory, but make them extra pretty and add an extra shot of chocolate bliss that should not be underestimated. While I have always considered these a breakfast treat, let us not forget that the line between Muffin and Cupcake is decidedly subtle — these could easily double as an inside-out cupcake, with the Nutella reminiscent of frosting.

Finally: a batch of Nutella Muffins make a stellar Valentine’s Day treat for anyone you love — family, friends, or significant other — and if you’re me, you’ll bake a dozen for your lovely colleagues. In part because you love working with them — but mostly to make up for all of the just-okay-muffins they’ve had at the Italian bar.

A couple of notes: The Nutella you find in the U.S (and maybe other countries?) tastes different from the Nutella you find in Italy, with more of an emphasis on chocolate instead of hazelnuts. I much prefer the Italian Nutella, and if you can get your hands on it, definitely use that in your muffins. You can keep these muffins in an airtight container or in resealable plastic bags for up to 24 hours at room temperature. They can also be frozen in a plastic freezer bag for up to 2 months. Finally, if you don’t have any Nutella on hand or are baking for someone with a nut allergy, know that these muffins are also delicious without the Nutella.

Looking for other brunch/breakfast recipes? Click here.
Looking for other recipes with Nutella? Click here.

NUTELLA MUFFINS

Makes 12 muffins. Basic muffin recipe from Leite’s Culinaria, with my additions.

Ingredients:
2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (50 grams) Dutch process cocoa powder sifted
1 tablespoon (14 grams) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 1/4 cups (300mL) whole milk
1/3 cup (80mL) mild vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup (145 grams) Nutella (roughly)
Mini chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Position an oven rack in the center of the oven. Butter muffin tins or line them with paper muffin cups.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until lightly beaten, then whisk in the milk, oil, and vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture with a wooden spoon, and mix until just combined.

Fill the prepared tins about 1/2 full. Put two generous teaspoons or so of Nutella into the batter, and then cover with some more batter until the muffin cup is about 3/4 of the way full. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with mini chocolate chips.

Bake the muffins for 20-23 minutes, or until they have rounded tops, and a toothpick inserted into the center of one muffin comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the muffins from the pan and let them cool on the rack for 5 minutes before eating. Enjoy!