Dark Chocolate Pistachio Cream Cheese Muffins are perfectly domed, tender muffins that pair rich dark chocolate with crunchy pistachios and a creamy cream cheese base. This recipe comes from Sabine Venier’s cookbook The Chocolate Addict’s Baking Book and works beautifully for breakfast, brunch, or 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!
- Recipe
The Chocolate Addict’s Baking Book
Sabine Venier’s The Chocolate Addict’s Baking Book gathers approachable chocolate-forward recipes for bakers of all levels. The book highlights many creative flavor pairings—this dark chocolate pistachio cream cheese muffin is one delicious example. If you enjoy chocolate baking, this cookbook is a lovely resource and gift idea.
Baking Tools Needed
These basic tools make the recipe easier and help achieve the signature domed tops and tender crumb.
- Two 12-cup muffin tins (the recipe yields about 19–20 muffins).
- Cupcake liners. Use sturdy liners so the muffins hold shape while baking.
- Mixing bowls for dry ingredients, streusel, and wet ingredients.
- Hand mixer or stand mixer to blend the cream cheese mixture smoothly.
- Cookie scoop (3-tablespoon works well) for even portions.
- Whisks and spatulas for mixing and folding in pistachios.
- Wire cooling rack to cool muffins after baking.
How to Make the Recipe
Below is a concise overview of the method. Full ingredient amounts and exact steps appear in the recipe section further down.
Prep: Preheat the oven and line muffin tins. Melt butter for the batter and let it cool slightly.
Make the streusel: Combine flour, sugar, cold cubed butter, and chopped pistachios with your fingers until crumbly. Set aside.
Whisk dry ingredients: Combine all-purpose flour, Dutch-process cocoa powder, and baking powder.
Mix wet ingredients: Beat softened cream cheese with sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs, milk, and cooled melted butter and mix just until combined.
Fold in pistachios: Gently fold the chopped pistachios into the batter—do not overmix.
Fill and bake: Use a scoop to fill each liner nearly to the top. Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then without opening the oven reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake another 11–13 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool before serving.
Freezing Muffins
Store cooled muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
Quick Tips
- Two-stage bake: Start at 425°F for 5 minutes, then lower to 350°F and continue baking. Do not open the oven while changing temperature.
- Buy shelled pistachios: Save time by using ready-to-chop shelled and peeled pistachios.
- Try roasted salted pistachios: If you like a salty contrast, use roasted and lightly salted pistachios.
- Chop by hand: Use a Ziploc bag and rolling pin or mallet to roughly chop pistachios if you prefer not to use a food processor.
- Fold gently: Fold pistachios into both the streusel and the muffin batter to retain texture.
- Use a scoop: A 3-tablespoon cookie scoop yields uniform muffins and full domes.
- Batter consistency: The batter is thicker than a typical cake batter but easily scoopable.
Enjoy More Muffins and Cupcakes!
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Dark Chocolate Pistachio Cream Cheese Muffins
Jennifer
20 mins
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38 mins
20 servings
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-Process 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
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF (220ºC). Line two 12-well muffin pans with about 20 paper liners and set aside.
- Make the muffin batter: In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- In a large bowl using an electric mixer, 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 add the flour mixture and mix about 1 minute. Do not overmix. Fold in the pistachios just to incorporate and set aside.
- 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.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared wells until almost full and top with the streusel. You should have 19–20 muffins. Bake at 425ºF (220ºC) for 5 minutes. Without opening the oven, reduce the heat to 350ºF (175ºC) and bake for another 11–13 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- 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 is an estimate and will vary based on specific ingredients used.