| 1 | Preheat the oven to 375°F. |
| 2 | Butter and flour 6 jumbo muffin cups measuring a scant 4 inches in diameter by 1 ?inches deep. |
| 3 | sift together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. |
| 4 | Toss the chocolate chips with 1 tablespoon of the sifted mixture. |
| 5 | cream the butter in the large bowl of an electric mixer on moderately high speed for 2 to 3 minutes. |
| 6 | Add the sugar and beat for 3 minutes. |
| 7 | Beat in the egg. |
| 8 | Blend in the melted chocolate and vanilla extract. |
| 9 | On low speed, alternately add the sifted mixture in two additions with the half-and-half in one addition, beginning and ending with the sifted mixture. |
| 10 | Stir in the chocolate chips and pecans. |
| 11 | divide the batter among the muffin cups. |
| 12 | bake the muffins for 29 to 30 minutes, or until well risen and a wooden pick inserted into the center of a muffin emerges clean and dry. |
| 13 | (while the pick may be tinted with chocolate, it should be free of any unbaked particles of muffin batter). |
| 14 | cool the muffins in the pan on a rack for 1 to 2 minutes. |
| 15 | Carefully remove the muffins to another cooling rack. |
| 16 | Cool completely. |
| 17 | Store in an airtight container. |
| 18 | variations: |
| 19 | jumbo butterscotch chip muffins--substitute butterscotch-flavored chips for the semisweet chocolate chips and chopped walnuts for the pecans. |
| 20 | jumbo milk chocolate chip muffins--substitute milk chocolate chips for the semisweet chocolate chips. |
| 21 | jumbo white chocolate chip muffins--substitute white chocolate chips for the semisweet chocolate chips. |
| 22 | bittersweet chocolate chunk muffins with walnuts and pecans--substitute 3 3-oz bars bittersweet chocolate, chopped, for the semisweet chocolate chips; use ?cup chopped walnuts and ?cup chopped pecans. |
| 23 | from baking for gift-giving by lisa yockelson typed by tiffany hall-graham |
