Flax Meal Muffins with Chocolate Chips

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C / 350°F. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases, or grease it well with a little butter or oil.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flax meal, plain flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Stir well to combine and break up any lumps.

3. In a separate jug or bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vegetable oil (or melted butter), and vanilla extract until smooth.

4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined — do not overmix. The batter will be thicker than a standard muffin batter due to the flax meal, which is perfectly normal.

5. Fold in the chocolate chips, reserving a small handful to scatter on top.

6. Divide the batter evenly between 10–12 muffin cases, filling each about three-quarters full. Scatter the reserved chocolate chips over the tops.

7. Bake for 18–22 minutes, until the tops are set and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean (melted chocolate is fine — just no wet batter).

8. Leave the muffins in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. They firm up as they cool, so resist cutting into them straight away. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.