Prepare Your Tin and Oven: Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.

Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the plain flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, caster sugar, and light brown sugar. Breaking up any lumps in the brown sugar is important for an even texture.

Combine Wet Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl or large jug, whisk the eggs lightly. Then, add the soured cream, melted butter, and vanilla extract and whisk until everything is smooth and fully combined.

Gently Mix Wet and Dry: Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients. Using a rubber spatula, fold the mixture together until it is *just* combined. I used to struggle with tough, dense muffins until I realised I was overmixing the batter. You should still see a few small lumps and streaks of flour; this is perfectly fine.

Fold in the Chocolate: Add the 200g of chocolate chips to the batter and fold them in gently with just two or three turns of the spatula. Be careful not to overmix at this stage.

Rest the Batter (Optional but Recommended): For the best rise, cover the bowl and let the batter rest at room temperature for 15-20 minutes. This allows the flour to hydrate and the leavening agents to get a head start.

Fill the Muffin Cases: Divide the batter evenly among the 12 paper cases. An ice cream scoop works beautifully for this, ensuring each muffin is the same size. They should be about three-quarters full. Sprinkle a few extra chocolate chips on top of each muffin.

Bake to Perfection: Place the muffin tin in the preheated oven and bake at 200°C (180°C fan) for 5 minutes. Then, without opening the oven door, reduce the temperature to 180°C (160°C fan) and continue to bake for another 15-17 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Cool: Let the muffins cool in the tin for about 5 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.