Divine chocolate chip doughnut muffins

I promised some buddies at work that I would bring in muffins for breakfast on this rainy long (and busy?) Saturday we're  supposed to have. I struggled with what type of muffins to make. Unlike some other baked goods I don't have a favorite muffin recipe...until I found this one! These cakelike muffins are made from a batter similar to that used for preparing doughnuts, but they are baked instead of fried.

How are they so scrumptious? They use buttermilk-- a tangy cultured milk product made by adding healthful bacteria to whole or low-fat milk. Its slightly thick, creamlike consistency and gentle acidity make it an excellent tenderizer in muffins and quick breads. Recipes using buttermilk usually call for baking soda, an alkaline leavener that reacts with the acidity in buttermilk. The resulting carbon dioxide bubbles expand in the heat of the oven, creating steam that helps produce rounded, moist muffins.

Recipe after the jump...

Recipe Courtesy of Williams-Sonoma. Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, “Muffins”, by Beth Hensperger (Simon & Schuster, 2003).

Ingredients

• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• Dash nutmeg 
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Preparation

1. Preheat an oven to 350°F. Grease standard muffin cups with butter or butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray.
2. To make the muffins, combine the butter and sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat well until pale and smooth.
3. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg & cinnamon. While mixing dry ingredients in slowly pour in vanilla and buttermilk. Beat well until sticky.
4. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each three-fourths full. Bake until the muffins are golden, dry and springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Unmold the muffins and let stand until cool enough to handle.