Coffee Chocolate Chip Muffins (Amish Friendship Bread)

Coffee Chocolate Chip Muffins (Amish Friendship Bread)

I wonder if you know this about me, I don’t drink coffee.

Truth is I really don’t like it. I’m much more of a tea person, iced and unsweetened. I’m also kid like and can’t refuse a cup of  hot chocolate. Well, lack of sleep and who know what else has led me to make these muffins. I was shocked I actually liked them. I really made them for my husband, the coffee drinker. My kids like the taste of coffee and I know they didn’t develop that from me. Decaf or not coffee makes me hyper, which leads me back to another fact why I don’t drink coffee. If you know me in real life, you know I am extrememly hyper, without coffee. I have been known to eat coffee ice cream at 9 pm and be awake until 4 in the morning. I am wound up naturally. Coffee just seems to put me in overdrive. You may be thinking it’s the caffeine, I used to think so too. It’s not, I can drink tea and soda with no similar effects. So my conclusion is there’s something in coffee itself that effect me.

Which lead me to my next story.

I was in the grocery store today and there is a Starbucks inside the store. The sweetest girl walks down the aisle with a tray in her hand and a cute sample. Bonus points  if you can gess which aisle it was?

Baking aisle is the correct answer 🙂

She asked if I would like a sample of their Mocha Coconut Frappuccino. I could’t resist. She could have kept the coffee part and just given me the chocolate and coconut. It was so cute with the toasted coconut laying so nicely on the whipped cream. You know me and coconut. I’m crazy for coconut. I’ve made coconut macaroons, coconut cupcakes, even caramel coconut cupcakes and luau cupcakes with toasted coconut and just a few days ago showed you the friendship bread with coconut. I sound like ” I’m coo coo for coco puffs”.  Can you tell I had the sample. I have ideas and stories just pouring out of me. Are you laughing? I think I hear you laughing at me. It’s okay, I’m really laughing at myself right now. I loved the coconut frapaccino, I may just have to start drinking coffee. Maybe I’d be so would up I could accomplish more each day. It would be like adding on hours or slowing down time. At this point, that is sounding pretty good.

In the meantime, I will share with you these Coffee Chocolate Chip Muffins. If you didn’t guess it they are made with the “friendship bread” starter, I am still coming up with more ideas on it too, once the wheels get turning it’s sometimes hard to slow down.

Coconut Chocolate Chip “Friendship”Muffins

To the Friendship Bread mix I made these adjustments: replaced one cup cooled coffee for the milk ( I used Italian Roast from Starbucks). Six drops LorAnns coffee flavor added 1 tsp cinnamon.  Added 1 cup mini chocolate chips, dust chips with flour to prevent sinking before adding.

Chocolate Coffee icing: Three tablespoons unsweetened cocoa mixed with ¼ cup powdered sugar a 1/4 tsp coffee flavor and a tablespoon of water to drizzle on top. Add more water if it needs to be thinned more.

I baked these in cupcake liners in a cupcake pan for 18 minutes at 325 degrees.

I’ve updated my Friendship Bread Printable Recipe to include all the varieties I’ve made so take a look.

Why have I been so tired?

Why would my mind be on coffee?

Well, I spent the weekend camping. Not tent camping, but camping none the less. I went camping Blog Away in the San Bernardino Mountains, about two hours from my home. I’ve attended the two other camps they’ve had before and each time I go I feel more connected to my community of food bloggers/writers/recipe developers/ photographers than I ever have before. I rode to camp with Rachael of La Fuji Mama. I first met Rachael at another conference last year that she too had attended.  She was a presenter last September. She is a full of helpful advice and just about the sweetest person ever. Meeting people in real life that have similar interests really is a gift.
I really can’t way enough about the connections I made this past weekend. Some people I followed on twitter and felt like I knew them like, Lori of Recipe Girl, Dara of  Cooking Canuk, Bree of Baked Bree.

Joy of Joy the Baker was there and it was great hearing all her advise. When I met Sarah of Tastespotting I only had one thing to say to her it was how sorry I was that my cell phone made a rather loud noise when she was speaking. Hmmm for anyone there, feel free to shout it out in the comments 🙂 very memorable! I apologized, she said it was the perfect ice breaker, she is the sweetest!   Jean of Gluten Free Doctor Recipes is so kind hearted and genuine, really can go on all day about each person I spoke to. I’ve seen “The lady of the Refrigerator” Carolyn O’Neil on the Alton Brown show, it was great talking to her.

(Dara, Rachael, me and Sarah)

I was glad to meet some East Coasters, I felt a kinship right away with Jennifer of Savoring the Thyme, Susan of Food Blogga, and Sarah of Average Betty. Even if some don’t still live on the East Coast still, you can’t take it out of them.

What I do realize when I go to such events, is that we are all looking for the connection with others. In this type of setting it’s easy we all have something in common. Our love of food, our hours spent cooking/cleaning up/ photographing/writing and yes scheduling, I feel one of the invaluable things I learned was scheduling! Scheduling time for each of these so that my family life has balance is key. There were so many messages I learned this weekend. I’m looking forward to using the knowledge I learned!

This list does not include the wonderful friends I have met at prior Camp Blog Away Events, those continuing relationships are one of the reasons for continuing to go to Camp Blog Away. I just thought in this post I’d highlight the people I hadn’t met before that I was able to spend time with and I certainly look forward to getting to know the others I met better through twitter and their blogs. There were nearly 90 people at camp.
Thanks to Patti of Worth the Whisk for putting on such a wonderful conference. Wouldn’t you like to join the fun next year. I’m looking forward to hearing the date be announced. Check out Camp Blog Away for more details.