My friend Carly recently taught me the phrase “mutual sidekicks.” You’re not Robin to someone’s Batman, or Sancho Panza to someone’s Don Quixote. You complement each other perfectly, and you each bring your own strengths to the table.

That’s how I feel about chocolate and pistachios. Chocolate has the sweet factor working for it. And pistachios have that nutty, slightly tangy flavor going on that is crying out for some sugar. Combine the two and you have a strong, nearly invincible superhero. Or, in this case, a really good muffin.

I didn’t have mini chocolate chips on hand so I used regular sized semi-sweet chips for the recipe. I would recommend using the smaller chips, though, because they will probably melt down better in the batter while the muffins are baking.

Make sure that you chop up the pistachios small enough so that you don’t have big pieces in the mix. I used a food processor because…I was about to give you a list of reasons including the fact that it’s waaaay too cold in D.C. today and that I was in a hurry. But really it’s because chopping up nuts isn’t my favorite pastime.

I brought these muffins to a Galentine’s Day party at my friend’s house. Enjoy them over a long weekend or whenever you need the power of mutual sidekicks.

Double Chocolate Chip Pistachio Muffins (slightly adapted from Hungry Girl por Vida)

Ingredients

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
2 eggs
¾ cup sugar
½ cup almond milk (or any milk you desire)
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup mini chocolate chips, divided
⅓ cup pistachios, chopped coarsely, divided

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray.

In a mixing bowl whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt together.

In another bowl whisk the eggs, sugar, almond milk, melted and cooled butter, and vanilla to combine. Fold the wet mixture into the dry mixture.

Add all but 3 tablespoons of the mini chocolate chips, and all but 3 tablespoons of the chopped pistachios to the batter and fold to combine. Place the remaining chips and pistachios into a small bowl, stir to combine.

Divide the batter between the muffin cups and top with a heaping teaspoon of the chocolate chip and pistachio mixture.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until the muffins spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool on a rack before serving.