Dark Chocolate Pistachio Cream Cheese Muffins are perfectly domed, tender muffins that marry rich dark chocolate with crunchy pistachios. This recipe comes from Sabine Venier’s debut cookbook, The Chocolate Addict’s Baking Book, and makes an excellent option for breakfast, brunch, or a chocolatey dessert.
Table of Contents
- The Chocolate Addict’s Baking Book
- Baking Tools Needed
- How to Make the Recipe
- Freezing Muffins
- Quick Tips
- Enjoy More Muffins and Cupcakes!
- Dark Chocolate Pistachio Cream Cheese Muffins Recipe
The Chocolate Addict’s Baking Book
Sabine Venier’s first cookbook collects approachable, chocolate-forward recipes for home bakers of all levels. Beautiful photography and creative flavor combinations make this book a great resource for anyone who loves chocolate. It’s especially useful if you want clear, dependable recipes that show how well chocolate pairs with a range of ingredients.
Baking Tools Needed
These are the tools I used and recommend for making the dark chocolate pistachio cream cheese muffins:
- Muffin pans. Two 12-cup pans are handy since the recipe yields about 19–20 muffins.
- Paper liners. Liners make removal and cleanup easier.
- Mixing bowls. Use separate bowls for streusel and dry ingredients.
- Hand mixer or stand mixer. Helpful for creaming the cream cheese and combining the wet ingredients.
- Cookie scoop. A 3-tablespoon scoop yields evenly sized muffins and fills the liners neatly.
- Whisk and spatula. A whisk for dry ingredients and a spatula for folding in pistachios and scraping the bowl.
- Wire cooling rack. Transfer muffins to a rack after a short rest in the pan so they cool evenly.
How to Make the Recipe
Below is a concise, step-by-step overview of the method. The full recipe follows in the recipe block.
Prep: Preheat the oven and line the muffin pans. Melt and cool the butter for the batter.
Streusel: Make the streusel first so it’s ready when the batter is finished. Use cold, cubed butter and work the mixture with your fingers until crumbly, then fold in chopped pistachios.
Dry ingredients: Whisk together all-purpose flour, Dutch-processed cocoa powder, and baking powder.
Wet ingredients: Beat the softened cream cheese with sugar and vanilla until smooth, then add eggs, milk, and cooled melted butter. Mix briefly, then add the dry ingredients on low speed and fold in the pistachios without overmixing.
Fill and bake: Scoop the batter into liners nearly to the top, top with streusel, and bake at 425°F for 5 minutes. Without opening the oven, reduce to 350°F and bake an additional 11–13 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool before serving.
Freezing Muffins
Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, freeze them for up to 2 months.
Quick Tips
- Two-stage baking: Start at 425ºF for 5 minutes, then reduce to 350ºF for 11–13 minutes—do not open the oven when lowering the temperature.
- Use shelled pistachios: Pre-shelled pistachios save time when chopping.
- Prefer salt: Roasted, salted pistachios add a nice contrast to dark chocolate.
- Chop without a processor: Place pistachios in a sealed bag and bash with a rolling pin or mallet for a quick chop.
- Fold gently: Fold pistachios into both the streusel and the batter to keep the texture light.
- Portion consistently: A cookie scoop helps produce uniformly sized muffins and domes.
Enjoy More Muffins and Cupcakes!
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Dark Chocolate Pistachio Cream Cheese Muffins
Ingredients
streusel
- 1/3 cup All-Purpose Flour, spooned and leveled
- 2 tbsp Sugar
- 3 tbsp Unsalted Cold Butter, cut into small cubes
- 1/2 cup Raw, Shelled and Peeled Pistachios, chopped
dark chocolate pistachio cream cheese muffins
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 cup Unsweetened Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder, spooned and leveled
- 4 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 8 oz Cream Cheese, softened
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 cup Milk
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled
- 1 cup Raw, Shelled and Peeled Pistachios, chopped
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 425ºF (220ºC). Line two 12-well muffin pans with about 20 paper liners and set aside.
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Make the muffin batter: In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt and set aside.
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In a large bowl, using an electric mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle, beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, milk and melted butter and mix until combined, about 1 minute. With the mixer on low, slowly mix in the flour mixture about 1 minute. Do not overmix. Fold in the pistachios just to incorporate and set aside.
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Make the streusel: In a small bowl, use your fingers to combine the flour, sugar, cold butter and pistachios until crumbly. Do not overwork or it will turn pasty.
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Spoon the batter into the prepared wells until almost full and top with the streusel. You will end up with 19 or 20 muffins. Bake at 425ºF (220ºC) for 5 minutes. Then, leaving the oven door closed, lower the heat to 350ºF (175ºC) and bake for another 11 to 13 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
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Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
Notes
- Reprinted with permission from The Chocolate Addict’s Baking Book by Sabine Venier, Page Street Publishing Co. 2020.
Nutrition
Nutritional information provided above is an estimate only and will vary based on specific ingredients used.