chocolate muffins with white chocolate chunks and St. Patric's day decorations

It is a rainy cold day here in London but i think the weather conditions is not going to stop the Britons to celebrate the St. Patric's day. Some weeks ago there was a post in this blog on the pancake day. Let me remind you what pancake day is: during the transition from winter to spring according to the Christianity consumption of some foods such as butter, eggs are restricted for purifying purposes. This time of the year is called lent. However at the St. Patric's day the constraints of the lent is lifted and at the beginning of  the  17th century it became a festive day so it has become another excuse for celebrations.

Muffin with white chocolate chunks

Originally St. Patric's day is representing the arrival of Christianity to Ireland however this St. Patric's day is evolved into  a celebration of Irish culture especially in commonwealth countries and USA.  Nowadays during the celebrations wearing green, drinking Guinness beer , and using shamrock as a clothing item became a custom. According to the wikipedia St. Patric arrived to Ireland with a three leaf shamrock representing the trinity. Hence shamrock is the symbol of the St. Patric's day. 

Dry ingredients, muffin tin, muffins with St. Patric's day decorations

I was going to bake cupcakes but the feedback i received from friends made me bake muffins instead.  My friends think that the cake of cupcakes are less tastier. But when you are placing the frosting there is a disadvantage associated with muffins since they rise uniformly so you end up with a rough surface. So the icing doesn't look perfect. But the taste is worth it! 

Ingredients (yields 10 - 12 muffins)

• 1 cup chopped white chocolate chunks
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cups of butter unsalted
• 2 tbsp granular sugar
• 1/4 cups of soft brown sugar
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 5 grams of vanilla powder (you can alternate this with 1 tsp vanilla extract)
• 1 3/4 cups self raising flour 

Recipe

1. Set the oven to 180 C/ 360 F and line or grease your muffin tin
2. In a bowl mix the granular sugar, cocoa powder, flour,  baking powder 
3. Add the chocolate chunks to the mixture mix lightly with a spoon
4. Crack the egg to another bowl  add the vanilla powder and beat it heavily
5. Add the butter an sugar to the bowl and beat it with an electric mixer
6. Add the milk to the mixture and keep beating in medium speed
7. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and mix it lightly with a spatula or spoon until the flour disappears 
8. Spoon the mixture to the muffin tin
9. Bake it for 15-30 mins (mine took 20 mins) 

Icing: 

• 200 grams of white chocolate
• 3 tbsp light cream cheese
• 1 tbsp icing sugar 
• 1 tbsp green food colouring

1. Melt the chocolate in a bowl by placing the bowl in a hot water
2. Dip the top surface of the cooled muffins into the melted white chocolate  
3. Wait for the chocolate to solidify you can put them into the fridge for 5-10 mins to speed the process
4. Mix the food colouring , cream cheese, and icing sugar and draw 

Decorated hearth shaped muffins