Chocolate Cookie-Pecan-Toffee Streusel Topped Chocolate Muffins

It has been a weird week around here. It has been a while since I have gotten so behind in recipes. That awesome Mexican chicken soup I made fed us for 3 nights. It did its work too, as I am feeling better, instead of descending into a sinus infection as frequently happens. But that soup, Gatorade, scrambled eggs and oatmeal (not all together!) are pretty much all I ate all week. I doubt any of you would be looking forward to pictures of those with baited breath.

I did make these muffins. Sadly I did not eat them because (and I know this is crazy) I really dislike chocolate when I have a cold. So why, you might wonder, did I make chocolate muffins? Apparently the virus went to my brain too because I have no good answer for you other than the fact that I could not get this streusel out of my mind. But John tells me they were addictive. My mom found them too salty, so I have reduced the salt in the streusel in the recipe, but reduce it further if you do not like salty sweets.

This recipe actually starts with an earlier failed recipe. I tried to make meringue cookies from a cookbook about eggs that a publisher sent to me. To say they spectacularly failed is an understatement. I have no idea why–I have made successful meringue cookies in the past–more than once! When all was said and done this time I had beaten 12 eggs whites that never whipped properly. I finally baked off a batch using 3 of them. They did not rise correctly, although they were tasty nonetheless. In the meantime I saved the failed whipped egg whites (with sugar) with the dozen egg yolks they had been separated from. I was determined not to waste this ridiculous mess, so I mixed it all together and threw it in the fridge.

What all of this means is that I have only provided a recipe for the streusel. I kind of just added the sugary egg mixture until the batter looked right–and added less sugar. Use your favorite chocolate muffin or cupcake recipe with Dutched cocoa (I think the streusel suits it better). This Triple Chocolate Muffin recipe I have made in the past would work nicely.

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Chocolate Cookie-Pecan-Toffee Streusel

Recipe by The Spiced Life

Course: Misc.

Cuisine: Cookies

Keyword: pecan, streusel, toffee

Author: TheSpicedLife

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 6 T toffee bits
• 1/4 cup AP flour
• 7 T unsalted butter cubed and cold
• 2 t coarse vanilla salt
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup coarsely crushed chocolate graham crackers or chocolate wafer cookies

Instructions

1. Mix the flour, sugar and salt. Using your hands, rub the butter into the flour mixture until the largest piece of butter is pea sized. Mix in the toffee bits, cookie crumbs and chopped pecans. Use your hands to toss and clump the mixture. Squeeze into clumps and then sprinkle over the filled muffin cups. Bake as directed.