Macadamia Chocolate Chip Muffins

These are totally awesome muffins! The toasted macadamia nuts add richness to the muffin and the semisweet chocolate chips are the perfect counterpoint. The texture is tender and the flavor is fabulous.

Macadamia Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 cup (5 ¼ oz) unsalted macadamia nuts
2 ¼ cups (9 ¾ oz) all-purpose flour
2/3 cup (4 ¾ oz) sugar
½ cup (1 ½ oz) shredded sweetened coconut
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (8 oz) buttermilk
8 tablespoons (1 stick/4 oz) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350°F. To prepare the muffin tins, spray the indentations and the rims around them Baker’s Joy (or line with paper muffin cups).

Place the nuts on a lipped baking sheet for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and fragrant. Cool for 10 minutes, then finely chop. Transfer the nuts to a medium bowl and stir in the flour, sugar, coconut, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until well blended. Add chocolate chips. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and buttermilk until smooth. Whisk in the melted butter and vanilla. Gently stir in the flour mixture until the nuts are distributed evenly in the batter. Do not overmix.

Fill the prepared tins three-quarters full. Bake for 17-23 minutes, or until the muffins have rounded, cracked tops and a toothpick inserted in the center of one muffin comes out fairly clean, with just a crumb or two.

Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Gently rock each muffin back and forth to release and remove it from the tin. Cool them for 5 minutes more on the rack before serving.