I have been lacking inspiration lately.  I think I have been using most of my brain power at work, which leaves less space for creativity at home.  It is really a drag to cook a wonderful meal, and have no idea how I want to display it, let alone photograph it for the blog.  So – I did something for myself this weekend.  I spent a sinful four hours on myself at another food photography course – taught by the same person as the last one, and this time accompanied by her husband, another amazing photographer.  It was a wonderful way to spend four hours, and I came home completely rejuvenated.  It was four hours that I did not think about work, I did not think about taking care of someone or monitoring what was going on – it was just four hours thinking about food and pictures.

So – I can’t say that this picture benefited from my rejuvenation – but I have taken some other photographs, and I am really excited about them – I can’t wait.  And speaking of anticipation – I have some big plans this weekend to create a recipe for the Girl Scouts – stay tuned for that one…

I saw these muffins in the last issue of Cooking Light, and my daughters were asking for muffins again.  I almost paused when I saw the word coffee – but I figured, as long as they didn’t eat them before going to bed, they would be fine for kids.  These were really quick and easy to make, and made a great snack for school – now I have no idea if they were bouncing off the wall afterwards, but I did not receive a note from either of their teachers, so I think they were fine.  I used mini-chocolate chips, to ensure a chocolate taste in every bite.  Who knows, maybe the combination of coffee and chocolate will give you some inspiration.  It’s worth a try – and if it doesn’t work – at least you made some deliciously tasty muffins!

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup whole milk
• 5 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons instant coffee granules
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 9 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 cups)
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup semisweet mini-chocolate chips
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

Combine first 5 ingredients.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk. Make a well in center of flour mixture. Add milk mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moist.

Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 18 minutes or until done. Remove muffins from pan immediately; place on a wire rack.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Chocolate Chip-Coffee Muffins