May I just say that I believe Ghirardelli is some of the best chocolate I've ever had? They are localized on the West Coast, so although I had been exposed to them just prior to moving & thought they were good, I also thought they are a tad expensive. Once we lived on the West Coast & had a bit of money though I knew I had to go visit the official Ghirardelli Chocolate company/factory/ice cream parlor in San Diego.
Unfortunately on the day when we went to visit, it was very warm and we had to be back on the Marine Base by a certain time, so although I would have enjoyed actually taste testing the chocolates they had available for sampling, as well as the ice cream they make there in the store we were on a time schedule.
Instead of buying the chocolates themselves, I chose to buy a cookbook, because chocolate will melt, but a book will last. That was one of the best purchases I've ever made, no kidding. I love that thing. I have made so many notes in the margins that some of the pages have become tattered. Not to mention how my beagle loved it too!! Apparently, it smelled like chocolate or coffee, or both when we brought it home, because he chewed up the corner really bad. Nothing like it being initiated & branded by the dog!
Through all of these wonderful chocolate related recipes, my husband's favorite recipe is their Double Chocolate Muffins.
At one time, the double chocolate muffins were offered in a boxed mix so you could rip & dump your way to heaven, but either due to a lacking interest, or perhaps it was just too expensive, they discontinued the boxed mixes. This was a second, and perhaps most important, justification for purchasing the cookbook originally.
When they discontinued these muffins, my husband was so upset that you would have thought the world was ending. My husband loves chocolate. The darker the better, and is very picky about what kind of chocolate he puts in his mouth, even to the point he refuses to consume anything that isn't up to the quality of Ghirardelli any longer.
Through trial & error, I have finally been able to nail the perfect muffin, and ironically, it isn't the way it's written in the book. Coincidence? I don't think so. Why would they want to let the secrets out? They wouldn't. But lemme tell you what, if you tend to substitute ingredients, or use "healthy" ingredients in place of less healthy, this recipe isn't for you. If you want it to turn out correctly, you have to follow the directions, and not replace items listed such as "finely ground pastry flour" with "all purpose". There is no such thing as "all purpose" flour. Flours are made for specific things, and the term all purpose only occurred when the flour mills were trying to get a leg up on the competition. If you replace bread flour for all purpose, your bread will not turn out as it's intended. Ditto if you substitute a different flour for the one listed.
As I am not allowed to post the original recipe online, (it will be censored) I will e-mail or comment the recipe to those who want it, either with or without my notes on how to make it.
Heidi
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