#2,060: Double-Chocolate Salted Caramel Muffins

I posted earlier about Food Network Magazine posting one muffin for each month of the year.  Although it's a bit early, here is February's muffin, Double-Chocolate Salted Caramel Muffins.  I didn't have flaky sea salt, so I just used my salt grinder (that's filled with kosher salt) to sprinkle some salt on top.  I was so scared it was going to be too salty, I just lightly salted them.  Honestly, it probably could have used more!  Also, I didn't push the dulce de leche down into the batter, and I think next time I will.  The caramel filling was more at the top instead of in the middle like I had hoped/expected.  These were a tiny bit dry, but I think I over cooked them a bit.  They still were good though and my kids loved them!  I would make these again for sure!

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup chopped semisweet chocolate (about 2 ounces), plus more chocolate for grating (I used mini chocolate chips and just incorporated all of it into the batter)

1 cup whole milk (I used 1/2 c heavy cream and 1/2 c skim milk)

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1/2 cup jarred thick dulce de leche

Flaky salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick liners. Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl; stir in the chopped chocolate. Whisk the milk, vegetable oil and eggs in a small bowl until smooth; stir into the flour mixture until just combined.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups, filling them two-thirds of the way. Bake until the edges are just set but the centers are still loose, 8 to 10 minutes. Working quickly, drop 1 heaping teaspoon dulce de leche into the center of each muffin. Return to the oven and bake until the batter rises over the dulce de leche and a toothpick inserted into a muffin (but not into the dulce de leche) comes out clean, 10 to 15 minutes.

Finely grate chocolate over the tops of the hot muffins and sprinkle with flaky salt. Let the muffins cool 5 minutes in the pan, then remove to a rack to cool completely.