Start by preheating oven to 375°F (190°C). The slightly higher temperature helps create those nice domed tops we’re looking for. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or give them a good coating of non-stick spray.

In a small bowl, stir the instant coffee granules into the milk until they’re completely dissolved. Let this sit while you prep the other ingredients – this gives the coffee time to fully dissolve and cool a bit.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Make sure to break up any cocoa powder lumps – I usually press them against the side of the bowl with my whisk. Add both sugars and whisk again until everything’s well combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs until they’re a bit frothy (about 30 seconds), then add the coffee-milk mixture, oil, and vanilla. Whisk until everything’s smooth and well combined.

Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture. Using a rubber spatula, fold everything together with gentle strokes. Stop when you still see a few streaks of flour – we’re not quite done mixing yet.

Add the chocolate chips and toffee bits to the bowl. Finish folding everything together just until combined. Your batter should look thick and slightly lumpy – that’s perfect! Over-mixing will make tough muffins, so easy does it.

Divide the batter evenly among your prepared muffin cups. They should be about 3/4 full. I use an ice cream scoop for this – it makes life so much easier and keeps things neat.

Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out with just a few moist crumbs (not wet batter). The tops should spring back when lightly pressed, and you’ll see a few small cracks on the surface.

Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 5 minutes – they’re quite delicate when hot. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Though honestly, these are amazing while they’re still warm and the chocolate chips are all melty!