Google's Top Trending Recipe of 2024 Deserves a Gold Medal

Seemingly, everyone was searching for this recipe during the Paris Olympics.

There’s a good chance you watched the Summer Olympics this year. The Paris backdrop was memorable, but so were those Chocolate Muffins, right? I loved watching the athletes do their thing, but based on Google’s “year in search” trend report that was released today, everyone seemed to love those muffins more.

In fact, Google reported “Olympic Chocolate Muffins” as the single most searched-for item in the “Food and Drink Recipes Category.” Content creators, Trevor (my next-door neighbor), and nearly every human jumped on the bandwagon to recreate the muffins at home. It proved to be quite a challenge since none of us non-Olympic athletes got to try it, but after all of my searching, I think one person did.

During the Olympics, a Google search (go figure) led me to Kassie Mendieta, who has the recipe's best (and most engaging) version. In the post, she explains her journey into the wild world of the muffin, which includes a deep dive into photos, videos, and ingredient investigation to recreate the now-famous muffin.

Making the Olympic Chocolate Muffins

Since it seemed Mendieta knew what she was talking about, I decided to give her recipe a try. After a quick assembly of ingredients, I sent my muffin batter into the oven and stood watch. After about 25 minutes, I pulled them out and let them cool. Then, it was on to the fudge filling, which was also fast and easy. I transferred it into a piping bag, flipped over the muffins, and filled them.

The result was the best chocolate muffin I’ve ever tasted. It was closer to cupcake, but who cares!

Tips for Making the Olympic Chocolate Muffins

If you’re ready to give the recipe a try, don’t forget a few of Mendieta’s (and my) pointers:

1. Use good Dutch-process cocoa. These are chocolate muffins, after all, so for the best chocolate flavor, go with a good, reliable brand of cocoa. I prefer Ghirardelli, but King Arthur Baking Company and Rodelle are good options.
2. Use a scale. You’ll be tempted to try this recipe with standard U.S. measuring utensils, but I suggest you don’t. Find an inexpensive scale on the internet and buy it before you make these. Using a scale is not only easier than scooping and dirtying a bunch of dishes, but it also ensures correct measurements, which is crucial for baking.
3. Don’t skip the milk powder. The milk powder adds flavor but also helps keep the muffin tender. You can usually find it in the baking aisle of your grocery store. 
4. Let the batter rest. Mendieta smartly suggests letting the batter rest for at least 30 minutes before baking. This is such a great move that allows the gluten time to relax, which will lead to better structure, resulting in beautiful, tall, and tender muffins. 
5. Hit the high temp first. The secret to the pitched dome top of these muffins is twofold. First, the rest mentioned above, and the first six minutes of baking, which is done at 420°F. That initial burst of heat helps the batter rise to create that bakery-style muffin you’re after!

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