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This moist and tender chocolate muffins recipe creates gorgeously high-domed muffins studded with chocolate chips. It’s hard to stop at just one—and why should you!?
Bake up this deliciously chocolatey chocolate muffins recipe for a morning treat! The muffins double up the chocolate with deep, dark cocoa powder in the batter and plenty of semisweet chocolate chips swirled throughout and scattered over their tops. The secret to the fluffiest, bakery-style muffins is baking them briefly at a high temp, and I’ll show you how to do it! Serve these muffins at brunch with a piping hot caffe macchiato, savory eggs in purgatory, and a side of crispy oven baked bacon!
Seriously The Best Chocolate Muffins Recipe
- Mega chocolate. Chocolate lovers rejoice! You will find both chocolate chips and cocoa powder in this recipe.
- Novice-friendly. You won’t need the mixer to make these muffins—just a whisk and a spoon are needed, so it’s a nice beginner-baker recipe.
- A snack or a sweet breakfast. Can’t decide if you should serve these muffins for breakfast or an after school snack? No worries—they are wonderful at any time of the day.
- Kids love them. Which leads me to my final point: Kids love chocolate muffins! They’re a sort of combination of chocolate cupcakes and chocolate chip cookies, so of course they gobble them up fast.
What You’ll Need
Pantry basics plus buttermilk and sour cream for richness are all that’s needed to make chocolate muffins. I’ve outlined the ingredients in this recipe below. Be sure to check the recipe card at the end of this post for the full ingredient amounts.
- Dry ingredients – All-purpose flour, cocoa powder (I use unsweetened cocoa powder), granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Eggs – Large eggs at room temperature will easily blend into the batter.
- Sour cream – Use full-fat sour cream or substitute Greek yogurt.
- Oil – Either vegetable or canola oil works.
- Buttermilk – Shake the buttermilk well before adding it to the batter. In a pinch, you can use whole milk.
- Vanilla extract – Use pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.
- Chocolate chips – Semisweet chocolate chips are my favorite here!
Tips and Variation Ideas
- How much to fill the muffin cups? I’ve found that about 3/4 full is the perfect amount to fill each cup so that they have enough space to rise without overflowing.
- Rest the batter: If you can, let the batter rest for up to 20 minutes. This allows the flour to hydrate, which creates a more tender crumb.
- Bake on high heat first: For beautifully domed, bakery-style muffins, bake them first at a higher temperature (425°F for 5 minutes), then reduce the heat to 350°F to finish baking.
- Use mini chocolate chips: I also like to use mini chocolate chips in these muffins for little pops of chocolate!
- Try milk chocolate chips: For a richer, sweeter touch, swap in milk chocolate chips for the semisweet chips, or do a combination.
- Add nuts! For crunch, add 1/2-1 cup of chopped walnuts.
How to Store
- Counter – Fully cool the muffins so that they don’t get soggy when stored, then transfer them to an airtight container and keep them on the counter for up to 3 days.
- Fridge – Place the muffins in their airtight container in the fridge and store them for up to 5 days.
- Freezer – Transfer muffins to a freezer-safe container or freezer-safe, sealable bag and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the muffins overnight in the fridge before serving.
Want to Warm Up Your Muffin?
A little tip from me to you is to gently warm up the muffins so that the chocolate gets all melty. Pop the muffins in the toaster oven or 350˚F oven for a few minutes, until warm and the chocolate chips melt a bit. Or, place them in the microwave for 30 seconds.
More Muffin Recipes
Chocolate Muffins Recipe
This moist and tender chocolate muffins recipe creates gorgeously high-domed muffins studded with chocolate chips.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- pinch of Kosher salt
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup vegetable oil or canola oil
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups chocolate chips + more for topping if desired
Instructions
- Prepare the Dry Ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, baking powder, and a pinch of kosher salt until well combined. Set aside.
- Mix the Wet Ingredients. Whisk together the eggs, sour cream, vegetable oil, buttermilk, and vanilla extract in a separate bowl until smooth and fully incorporated.
- Combine the Batter. Gradually pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing gently until combined. Take care not to overmix, as it can impact the texture of the muffins. Gently fold the chocolate chips, making sure they are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- Let the Batter Rest (optional, but recommended). Cover the batter and let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. This step hydrates the flour and helps create tall, bakery-style muffin tops.
- Preheat the Oven. While the batter rests, preheat the oven to 425°F and line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
- Fill the Muffin Cups. Using a cookie scoop or spoon, divide the batter evenly among the muffin liners, filling each ¾ full. Sprinkle additional chocolate chips on top for extra decadence.
- Bake in Two Stages. Bake the muffins at 425°F for 5 minutes to encourage a high rise. Without opening the oven, reduce the temperature to 350°F and continue baking for 8–10 minutes, or until the tops are set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Avoid overbaking to maintain a soft texture.
- Cool and Serve. Remove the muffins from the oven and, if desired, sprinkle lightly with flaky sea salt for contrast. Let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Equipment
Nutrition
Calories: 419kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 84mg | Potassium: 206mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 124IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
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How to Make Chocolate Muffins
- Prepare the Dry Ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
- Mix the Wet Ingredients. Whisk together the eggs, sour cream, vegetable oil, buttermilk, and vanilla.
- Combine the Batter. Gradually pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
- Add chips. Gently fold in the chocolate chips, then cover the bowl and let the batter rest for 20 minutes.
- Bake. Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425°F, then bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes. Cool muffins in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
