Cherry Mocha Chip Muffins

Start the day off with a batch of these Cherry Mocha Chip Muffins and cup of coffee. Double the caffeine will help get you going in the morning.

A long, long time ago, right after I started blogging, I had a reader ask if I could make a cherry muffin recipe. I created a muffin recipe and shared it here on the blog.

Oh, my goodness.  I just about died laughing when I looked back at those pictures. You see, I have been revisiting the old recipes that I have made. Sometimes the photos (and sometimes the recipe) just don't work.

If you are interested in the bad photo from the beginning, just scroll to the very bottom of the post.  I kept one picture, just so I can see how far I have come in my photography and recipe development.

Since I'm not really a fan of flat muffins, I knew the recipe was going to need some work.  After a few test runs, I finally came up with a winner muffin that everyone here loved.

Cherry Mocha Chip Muffins

Since our whole family loves these Chocolate Mocha Muffins, I decided to add a little bit of cocoa powder to these Coffee Chocolate Chip Muffins as my base for these cherry muffins.

But unfortunately, the first batch of mocha muffins did not rise as much as I was hoping though. They were better than the originals, but still not as fluffy as I was imagining.

They also stuck to the cupcake liners when I tried to peel them off.

So, for round two, I sprayed the pan with nonstick spray and hoped for the best.  Those muffins did not rise evenly either.

In fact, did you know that too much baking spray will actually make the muffins slide down the sides of the pan instead of rising nice and high.

On round three I decided to change up the recipe slightly by adding a mix of baking powder and baking soda, and I made sure to only spray the bottoms of the muffin tins.

After all that work, we finally had a muffin that everyone in our family gave two thumbs up.

How to make Cherry Mocha Chip Muffins:

• Preheat the oven.  Spray your muffin tins with nonstick baking spray, making sure to only spray the bottoms off the tins and not the sides.
• Drain the cherries and quarter each one.  Place the cherries on a paper towel and pat them dry.  Set aside.
• Beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the extract and eggs and mix again.
• Stir together the dry ingredients in a bowl. Measure the milk and coffee in a measuring cup.
• Alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk to the butter mixture until a batter comes together.  Do not over mix the batter.
• Gently stir the cherries and chocolate chips into the batter.

Pro Tip: Toss the cherries with a little bit of flour. This will keep them from sinking to the bottoms of the chocolate chip muffins.

• Let the batter rest in the bowl for about 15-20 minutes. This allows the flour to absorb some of the liquid and the air bubbles to work out of the batter.
• Spoon the batter evenly into 16 muffin cavities. Yes, the muffin tins should be very full. Bake for 15 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let the muffins cool in the tins for 2-3 minutes, then gently remove them and place on a cooling rack.
• Whisk together the powdered sugar and coffee.  Dip (or spread) the glaze on top of the cooled cherry muffins.
• Add mini chocolate chips to the tops before they set, if you like.

Tips to Remember when Making Muffins:

Over mixing the batter will affect the muffin texture. They can be tough, flat, and dry if you beat the batter too much.  Just mix the dry and wet ingredients together until just barely combined, and there is no flour showing.

Too much baking spray on the sides of the muffin pan will make the muffin slide down instead of crawling up as it bakes. Make sure you only spray the very bottom of the nonstick pan. You can also use cupcake liners, but make sure you spray those lightly with nonstick spray too.   You can also buy nonstick or parchment liners.

Bake the muffins at a higher temperature. Baking powder is activated by heat, so your muffins will be tall, soft, and moist.

After taking the muffins out of the oven, do not let them cool completely in the pan.  The heat from the metal pan will actually make the muffin continue to bake, resulting in a drier muffin. Let them cool for just a few minutes, then promptly remove them.

Store glazed muffins in a loosely sealed container, so that the glaze doesn't get sticky and dissolve into the tops of the muffins.

Other muffin recipes you may like:

• Orange Blueberry Muffins
• Double Chocolate Banana Muffins
• Butterscotch Banana Muffins
• Glazed Strawberry Muffins
• Carrot Cheesecake Muffins
• Mini Lemon Donut Muffins

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Recipe

Cherry Mocha Chip Muffins

Yield: 16 muffins

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Start the day off with a batch of these Cherry Mocha Chip Muffins and cup of coffee. Double the caffeine will help get you going in the morning.

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Ingredients

For the Muffins

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon coffee extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups all purpose flour +1 Tablespoon
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon dark cocoa powder
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup Cold Brew coffee
• ¾ cup mini chocolate chips
• 1 - 12 ounce jar maraschino cherries, drained, diced, patted dry

For the Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 5 teaspoons Cold Brew coffee
• 2 Tablespoons mini chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a muffin tin with nonstick baking spray.
2. Beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the extract and eggs and beat again.
3. Stir together the 2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder in a bowl. Stir together the milk and coffee.
4. Add the dry and milk mixture alternately to the butter mixture until a batter comes together.
5. Toss the cherries with the 1 Tablespoon of flour. Stir the cherries and the mini chocolate chips into the batter gently.
6. Spoon the batter into 16 muffin cavities. Let the pan sit on the counter for 10 minutes before placing in the oven for 15 minutes.
7. Remove the pan from the oven and let the muffins cool in the pan for 2-3 minutes. Gently remove the muffins from the pan and place on a cooling rack.
8. Once the muffins are cool, whisk together the powdered sugar and coffee. Dip or spread the glaze on top of the muffins.Top with a few mini chocolate chips. Let set.

Notes

*If you do not like coffee or mocha flavored items, use vanilla extract and all milk in place of the coffee extract and Cold Brew.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Pyrex Glass Mixing Bowl Set (3-Piece)
• 
  Wilton Recipe Right Nonstick 12-Cup Regular Muffin Pan (2, STANDARD)
• 
  Bakers Joy Cake Pan Spray 2 Pack

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 266Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 39mgSodium: 222mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 2gSugar: 30gProtein: 3g

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*The post for Cherry Mocha Chip Muffins was first published on December 23, 2010. The recipe and pictures have been updated and republished on June 11, 2019.

(original photo from December 2010)