When Jason came into my life 3 years ago, I finally had someone to spend Valentine’s Day with. It’s a tortuous holiday when you’re single but when you have that special someone in your life, it becomes a holiday where you have an excuse to buy each other presents and to have a night out on the town. I remember our first Valentine’s Day like it was yesterday – we made reservations at The Stinking Rose out in Beverly Hills, and we got dressed up, looked fabulous, and headed off to the restaurant where we noticed the line that trailed along the entire outside of the restaurant. Who knew that there’d be such a long wait even with reservations made a month in advance?

Ever since that night, Jason and I vowed to stay in on Valentine’s Day. Or at least do Valentine’s Day lunch. But for this Valentine’s Day, Jason is in SF and I’m here in LA so I really can’t stand all this Valentine’s Day paraphernalia in my face all the time. The distance between us is hard to bear, but at least I can share these muffins with him virtually.

Now I know I just posted a chocolate muffin recipe yesterday but I can’t help it – it’s Valentine’s Day and any treat that includes chocolate seems fitting for the occasion. Now this recipe was originally for donuts but I just wasn’t in a donut mood so I decided to make muffins instead. Unfortunately, there’s a reason why this recipe was for donuts because it didn’t have that fluffy texture that muffins are supposed to have. So if you do decide to make this, either make them as donuts or use your favorite chocolate muffin recipe instead of the one listed here. I highly recommend the Double Chocolate Muffins recipe from yesterday’s post.

So yes, I wasn’t thrilled about the texture of these muffins but the reason why I’m posting this is because of this rich, decadent glaze. It’s by far the best glaze I’ve ever had in my entire life (note: I may be a bit biased because I love anything that includes cream cheese). It’s creamy and oh-so-velvety, and it paired beautifully with the chocolate, even with its weird texture. After about 3 or so bites, the texture of the muffins didn’t even matter. The muffin just kept tasting better and better.

This year’s holiday sucks but at least I have these muffins to keep me company.

Oh and before I forget: Happy Valentine’s Day to my one-and-only. I hope you enjoy these muffins as much as I have enjoyed them in the middle of the night. And thank you for all the joy and happiness that you brought into my life these past 3 years. 

Chocolate Buttermilk Donuts* (adapted from Crumbs and Chaos):

Yields 12 donuts

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

*I highly recommend making the donuts when using this recipe. If you want to make muffins like I did, I urge you to use your favorite chocolate muffin recipe than the one listed here. The texture is not fitting to the muffin environment.

For the Strawberry Cream Cheese Glaze (adapted from Crumbs and Chaos):

  • 3 ounces cream cheese
  • 5 tablespoons seedless strawberry jam
  • 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Coat a donut (or muffin) pan with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla.

Pour mixture over dry ingredients and stir using a rubber spatula just until moist.

Scoop the batter evenly into the donut (or muffin) pan. (A piping bag is perfect for this.)

Place into oven and bake for 6-8 minutes, or until the donuts (or muffins) spring back when touched.

Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

To make the glaze, microwave the cream cheese for 20 seconds to soften.

Whisk in the jam until smooth.

Whisk in the confectioners’ sugar and heavy cream until smooth. If the glaze is too thick, add heavy cream as needed.

Dip the top of each donut (or muffin) into the glaze.

Allow glaze to set before serving.