These vibrantly blue, fluffy, and deliciously moist muffins are stuffed with white chocolate chips! A fun twist on the ever popular Red Velvet!
Red Velvet seems to be THE flavor of the decade, however, I do think it’s a bit overrated. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely love me some Red Velvet Cupcakes with a mountain of cream cheese frosting. I just think it’s time to change things up a bit…
These Blue Velvet Muffins aren’t just blue…they’re bada-bing-bada BLUE!
(I’m fully aware of how corny that sounded.)
I remember when I first discovered Blue Velvet Cake. It was at this well-known bakeshop in Los Angeles called Milk. From amazing frozen treats like homemade drumsticks and macaron ice cream sandwiches to mouthwatering baked goods like their chocolate Ooey Gooey Cookie and eye-catching Blue Velvet Cake, this place became a must-stop every time I’d visit LA.
Experimenting with Blue Velvet has been on my dessert bucket list for quite some time now. Like Red Velvet, there’s just something so enticing about that strikingly vibrant color. However, since I wasn’t really in a “cake mood” this week, I opted for these Blue Velvet Muffins instead.
Other than the color, you might be wondering what the difference is between Red Velvet and Blue Velvet. The answer is……absolutely nothing. Just like traditional Red Velvet Cake, Blue Velvet is a moist and slightly dense vanilla cake with a subtle cocoa flavor. Although I didn’t make a cake, these muffins did NOT disappoint.
They’re perfectly soft, fluffy, and flavored with just the right amount of cocoa to remind you of Red Velvet Cake. To achieve that lusciously moist crumb, I used a combo of butter, oil, and yogurt. Butter adds flavor, whereas oil provides that fluffy texture. Yogurt is added for not only moistness, but for that slight tang that classic Red Velvet Cake gets from buttermilk. As for that subtle cocoa flavor, just two tablespoons is all you need to get the perfect balance of sweet vanilla cake to cocoa-licious yumminess.
While these muffins aren’t smothered in the iconically addictive cream cheese frosting, they’re loaded with white chocolate chips. And if you’re worried about adding too many chocolate chips (there’s no such thing, btw), don’t. This muffin batter isn’t that sweet at all. With only a cup of sugar in the entire recipe, it’s basically sugar-free in my book 😉
The white chocolate chips also give you those melty pockets of sweetness when you eat them fresh from the oven. Or, if you eat them the next day, pop them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds for the same heavenly effect.
Ok, now to the crucial part…the color. While adding a bunch of blue food coloring to the muffin batter might be the obvious answer, it’s not that simple. The batter is not white; it’s brown due to the cocoa powder. Therefore if you just add a bunch of blue, you’ll end up with more of a greenish blue, than actual blue. Luckily, all you have to do is add a drop or two of violet/purple food coloring. That’s it!
Really, the color could not be more eye-catching. So much more exciting than Red Velvet.
With how amazing these muffins turned out, I’d say that Blue Velvet Cake is right around the corner for this food blog…
Blue Velvet Muffins
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 2 Tablespoons natural cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed)*
- 2 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar packed
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 ½ cup yogurt (I used vanilla-flavored)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- Blue food coloring**
- Violet/Purple food coloring**
- 1 ½ cup white chocolate chips plus more for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425ºF. Spray a standard-sized muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray, or line with paper liners.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Once melted, turn off the heat and stir in the cocoa powder. Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined; set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk both sugars and the eggs together until thickened and combined, about 45 seconds. Whisk in the melted butter-cocoa mixture and the oil. Add the yogurt and vanilla, and continue whisking until combined. Blend in food colorings until desired shade is achieved.
- Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until almost combined. Pour in the chocolate chips, folding until just combined. Batter should still be lumpy with a few spots of flour. Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan. Sprinkle with more chocolate chips, if desired.
- Bake at 425ºF for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 375ºF and continue to bake for another 11-12 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before serving.