The Olympics Chocolate Muffin Recipe Explained

The 2024 Paris Olympics may be the sporting competition’s iteration that has given rise to the greatest flow of Internet memes. Even before the games started, Parisiens were actively considering an extremely unconventional and stinky strategy to dissuade the Olympic committee and the French government from using the Seine in the games due to its pollution. This unorthodox collective initiative had to be a warning sign that this year’s Olympics would be one of a kind.

Since Snoop Dog carried the Olympic torch, the games have continued to produce extra reasons for people to tune in this year. From Yusuf Dikec landing silver in the 10-meter air pistol event and earning the title of Turkey’s John Wick in the process, to French pole-vaulter Anthony Ammirati failing his 5,70m jump by unintentionally showing the world he is well-endowed, thus losing the medal but winning the Internet. As a netizen put it: “Sometimes, even when you lose, you win.”

Henrik Christiansen is another athlete who has gone viral, but not necessarily for his performance in the swimming pool. Christiansen has reached virality for having fallen head over heels with the Olympic Village’s chocolate muffins. Like many people in love, the Norwegian swimmer simply cannot shut up about his new obsession, and the Internet loves him for it.

Understandably, Christiansen – as well as other Olympic athletes who have outspokenly praised the chocolatey baked treat – has spread the desire for these muffins to netizens around the globe via TikTok. Under Christiansen’s posts, some netizens have speculated that the ones sold at the Olympic Village are industrially produced by either Otis Spunkmeyer or Délifrance.

In case you cannot get your hands on one of these exact muffins, there is no need to despair. Here’s a homemade recipe if you’re feeling up to the challenge of recreating them!

The perfect sweet treat for chocolate lovers  

Cooking blogger Rose Atwater became aware of the fanfare the Olympic Village chocolate muffins have generated online, and decided to do everyone a great service by sharing her recipe for what she labeled “triple chocolate muffins.” On her blog, RoseBakes, Rose goes into detail about the ingredients, the step-by-step process, and the tools you need to satiate your curiosity with a copycat version of the Olympic Village’s muffins.

The “triple chocolate” muffin earns its name from it being a chocolate cake, covered in chocolate chunks, with chocolate ganache filling. It may sound complex, but it isn’t, and you may even decide to save extra time by buying the ganache pre-made.

First things first, the oven must be pre-heated at 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220 degrees Celsius). Then, you’ll need two mixing bowls: in the larger of the two, you must mix in two cups of flour, one cup of sugar, two-thirds of a cup of cocoa powder, one teaspoon of baking soda, one teaspoon of salt, and one and a half to two cups of chocolate chunks. In the other bowl, add two large eggs and an extra yolk at room temperature, three-fourths of a cup of full-fat sour cream, half a cup of vegetable oil, half a cup of whole milk, and one tablespoon of vanilla extract, whisking until the mixture becomes homogenous. Once that’s out of the way, you’ll need to pour the contents of the second bowl into the first and stir the ingredients, being mindful not to overmix.

Grease the muffin tins before adding the batter with a sprinkle of chocolate chunks on top. The tins go in the oven for 5 minutes before you lower the temperature from 425 to 350 degrees and allow the muffins to bake for another 20 minutes. Sticking a toothpick into the muffins, you’ll know they are ready once it comes out clean.

The muffins must cool down before you add the ganache filling to the middle. You can do so easily by using a squeeze bottle. If you happen to be nothing like Olympic swimmer Henrik Christiansen and end up with leftover muffins, you may store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to four days.