Hot Chocolate Muffins in a Mug

I have been dreaming of these for several days...just wondering how to get them just as I'd imagined.  And I think I did it.  Even though it's January, the weather here in Pennsylvania has been unseasonably warm.  So, hot chocolate lovers like my family take every cooler evening that comes along as a chance to indulge.  So, I thought how great it would be to have a treat the gave the flavors of hot chocolate but didn't require the cold weather.

I started with a fairly basic recipe:

2 cups flour
1 T baking powder
1/4 t salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter or canola (or some other flavorless) oil

Preheat oven to 350 F

Once all of that was blended, but not overmixed, I separated the batters.  One batter had 2 T of unsweetened cocoa and 1 cup of miniature marshmallows added to it, and the other batter had 1/2 cup of miniature chocolate chips added.  I greased 6 medium sized mugs and layered the batters in each mug to about 2/3 of the way full.  I put them on baking sheet and cooked for about 20 minutes.  Watch to be sure they don't overcook because of the marshmallows which could burn easily.

Once out of the oven, I set them aside to cool.  I popped one out of the mug just to show the layered effect and how delicious the muffin hidden inside each mug really looks!

All that was really left to do was eat one.  Hard work, but I guess if I have to, I will just to be able to share my muffin with all of you.  What a treat it was.  I had to make a cup of coffee to really enjoy my midmorning treat.  The kiddos loved them, I mean, really, who wouldn't??  Really, it was a super easy muffin to make, and I bet it would make a great treat around Christmas time in a pretty mug with the recipe attached and tied with a bow.  Hmmm...gotta keep that idea around for next year.

Happy Monday everybody!