CHOCOLATE ORANGE MUFFINS

CHOCOLATE ORANGE MUFFINS 2 ½ cups flour ¾ cup sugar ½ tsp salt 4 tsp baking powder 2 eggs 1 cup milk 1/2 cup cooking oil Zest of one orange, finely grated 1 tsp vanilla extract ¾ cup dark chocolate chips Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Finely zest an orange and chop the zest even finer with a chef's knife. Add the orange zest to a large bowl along with the eggs milk, cooking oil and vanilla . Whisk all together Fold in the dry ingredients, just until the dry ingredients are incorporated into the batter; do not over mix. When the flour is almost incorporated, fold in the chocolate chips. Spoon batter into 12 well greased muffin tins or 6 jumbo muffin tins. I normally reserve a couple of tablespoons of chocolate chips to sprinkle on top. I also sprinkle on a little turbinado sugar to help get a crispy top. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees F, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.