The Best Time of Day Muffins

If you've been following me on Instagram for the past several months then I'm sure you have seen that I drink a cup of coffee every day at 4 PM. 

I'm going to admit something that might shock you - I am actually not a big coffee drinker and until a few months ago I had the occasional cup when I was in the mood or went out to a cafe, definitely not every day on schedule. I do very much enjoy the flavor and aroma of coffee, but unlike many people, I don't need a cup of coffee to start my day. 

Everyone in my family drinks a cup of coffee or two every morning, growing up I remember my father turning on the coffee maker every morning when he went down to the kitchen and I would wake up to the smell of coffee wafting up the stairs. 

When I was in college I did drink a lot of coffee with a Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, and many other coffee shops on every corner. Back then I think I did it for the caffeine to get through writing papers and studying for exams, but actually, late-night tv/movie watching with my roommate. I think after a while the caffeine stopped having an effect on me. 

At the beginning of coronavirus, I moved into my brother and sister in law's house and they are big coffee drinkers. Every day at 4 PM my sister in law would make iced coffee for the three of us and we would enjoy it with a yummy baked good leftover from shabbat or something that we made that day because like many of you during the beginning of this pandemic we baked a lot. Every day I would post my sister in law pouring the milk into our cups of coffee and would caption it with "the best time of day". I began to get so many messages of people who would ask me how I make my coffee and who started drinking coffee at 4 PM to join our best time of day. When I moved back to my apartment I got many concerned messages of people wondering if I would continue with the 4 PM coffee and I'm very happy that did I think that 4 PM caffeine jolt really gets you through the rest of your day.

Every Monday when I make muffins for #muffinmonday my cup of joe for #thebesttimeofday is enjoyed with a fresh muffin so I thought why not combine the two and make a coffee-flavored muffin?! 

The batter has a pinch of cinnamon, a good amount of vanilla extract, and mini chocolate chips which are all great flavors with coffee. 

When these muffins were baking it smelled like my parents' kitchen with the smell of coffee wafting through the air. 

Coffee Muffins

1/2 cup hot water 

3 Tbs instant coffee granules 

2 1/2 cups flour 

2 tsp baking powder 

1 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

1/2 cup milk of your choice 

2 eggs

1/2 cup oil 

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup + 2 Tbs sugar 

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips + a handful to sprinkle over the muffins before baking. 

Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C 

Line a standard-size muffin tin with paper liners or coat with non-stick cooking spray. 

Dissolve the coffee in the hot water and set aside to cool slightly.

In a large bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In a liquid measuring cup or medium bowl mix together the milk, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry along with the coffee and the sugar. Mix until just combined and then fold in the mini chocolate chips. 

Scoop into prepared muffin cups and bake for 15-18 minutes. 

Yield: 12 standard size muffins