Chocolate Chip Muffins

Muffins are so simple and easy to make, it's just a case of mixing dry ingredients with wet ingredients and blobbing the mix into cases. They also freeze really well, so there's no need to fall for the mediocre ones sold for a small fortune these days. There are a seemingly endless amount of flavour combinations that can be baked into a paper case of yumminess, so let's start with a favourite: chocolate chip.

Ingredients:

• 260g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 110g caster sugar
• 4tbsp cocoa powder (the unsweetened kind)
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 90ml vegetable or sunflower oil
• A big handful of plain chocolate chips, or chopped cooking chocolate

Method:

• Line a heavy-based muffin tin with 12 muffin cases and preheat the oven to 180°C 
• In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients
• In a pyrex jug or another mixing bowl, beat the egg with a fork, then stir in the vanilla, milk and oil and mix until combined
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir together until most of the lumps are gone
• Stir in two thirds of the chocolate chips, then spoon into the muffin cases
• Scatter the remaining chocolate chips on the top, then bake for 25-30 minutes until the tops spring back when poked