Most of the time, when a recipe goes viral, it is easy to find online.
Not the Olympic chocolate muffins that are taking the internet by storm, thanks to Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen, who has been professing his love for the treat on TikTok.
A video Christiansen posted in late July about the muffins, which are being served in the Olympic Village in Paris, has been viewed more than 20 million times. Bakers worldwide immediately began creating their own version of the Maxi Muffin Chocolat Intense, a chocolate muffin studded with chocolate chips and filled with even more chocolate.
The muffins are being provided to Olympians by French food service company Coup de Pates (and according to social media, are apparently enjoyed in the dining halls of European universities).
More: Paris 2024 Olympics closing ceremony: When it starts, how to watch and what to expect
I wanted to get in on the fun, and while Coup de Pates alluded on Instagram that the recipe would not be shared, I crossed my fingers and asked anyway. The company referred me to Sodexo Live!, a food and beverage and events production company providing catering services during the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris.
Sadly, I did not receive a response from Sodexo, so I began scouting the many, many recipes online. Bakers on social media are putting in the work in pursuit of perfection, analyzing photos and videos of Olympians eating the muffins to determine ingredients, baking time and the proper consistency of the muffin’s chocolate filling.
TikTok recipes
TikToker Jordan The Stallion said he found the original recipe, but his team couldn’t confirm his “internet sleuth” work (his muffins look great, though). A version made by “MasterChef Australia” contestant Steph de Sousa looked delicious but used yogurt, which I suspected wasn’t authentic.
More: Allie Wilson the third Monmouth U. athlete to compete in Olympics. How did she do?
I ultimately chose a recipe created by Kassie Mendieta, a California-based pastry chef who is admittedly obsessing over perfecting these muffins “because much like these athletes, I didn’t set out to make a muffin that was ‘close enough’ to the real deal. I’m coming to MAKE THAT MUFFIN,” she said on Instagram.
She shared her final recipe, which took a dozen tries, with today.com. It calls for a combination of dark, semi-sweet and milk chocolates; a resting time for the batter; filling every other cup of the muffin tin to allow for even baking; and a fudgy filling that benefits from a whirl with an immersion blender.
This attention to detail screamed “PROFESSIONAL BAKER” to me, which meant the muffins would undoubtedly be delicious.
I knew that without European chocolate, any recipe I baked would not be 100% accurate, but I gathered the best my local grocery store had to offer (minus Nestle cocoa, which I had in my pantry) and pushed on. Chances are I would still end up with a delicious chocolate muffin, right?
Right. These were the most delicious chocolate muffin I’ve ever tasted. I almost couldn’t believe I made them.
Did they cost me nearly $30 to make? Yes. But that is way less than a flight to Paris, and sometimes, it pays to get in on the fun.
Sarah Griesemer joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2003 and has been writing all things food since 2014. Send restaurant tips to [email protected], follow on Instagram at Jersey Shore Eats and subscribe to our Jersey Shore Eats newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Viral Olympic chocolate muffin is as good as they say
