Chocolate Muffins
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
With a soft crumb and double the chocolate, these chocolate muffins strike the perfect balance between indulgent and everyday-friendly—no bakery run required!
The men in my family are all devoted chocoholics, so I’ve made a lot of chocolate treats over the years—but most don’t exactly count as breakfast. Not so with these double chocolate muffins! They’re less sweet than chocolate cupcakes, with a soft, tender crumb and rich chocolate flavor from a double dose of cocoa powder and chocolate chips. Best of all, they come together fast with pantry staples.
Whether someone needs a midweek pick-me-up or we’re just craving something a little more indulgent for breakfast, this is the chocolate muffin recipe we turn to again and again. If your craving round two, don’t miss my favorite chocolate chip muffins—they’re just as delicious.
“These muffins are spectacular! They come out beautiful, moist and chocolatey every time I make them.”
What you’ll need To Make Chocolate Muffins
- Large Eggs: Add structure and moisture, helping the muffins hold together while keeping the texture tender.
- Buttermilk: Adds moisture and tangy flavor, while helping create a soft, tender crumb. If you don’t have any buttermilk on hand, or don’t want to purchase a whole carton, see how to make buttermilk using milk and vinegar or lemon juice.
- Vanilla Extract: Rounds out the flavor and brings out the richness of the chocolate.
- All-Purpose Flour: Forms the base of the batter. For best results, scoop it into your measuring cup with a spoon and level it off with a knife.
- Natural Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: Delivers bold chocolate flavor without making the muffins overly sweet. Note that this is not the same as Dutch-process cocoa powder; they are not interchangeable in recipes.
- Light Brown Sugar: Sweetens the muffins and adds a hint of molasses flavor. Gently pack it into the measuring cup for accuracy.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Help the muffins rise and stay light and fluffy.
- Semi-Sweet or Bittersweet Chocolate Chips: Add melty bursts of chocolate throughout—semi-sweet is a little sweeter, while bittersweet has a deeper, more intense cocoa flavor. Choose whichever you prefer.
- Butter: Adds richness and flavor while keeping the muffins moist and soft.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Mix the wet ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla until well combined.
Step 2: Whisk the dry ingredients. In another large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk well, then rub the mixture through your fingers to break up any brown sugar or cocoa powder clumps.
Step 3: Combine wet and dry ingredients. Add ¾ cup of the chocolate chips, the egg mixture, and the melted butter to the dry ingredients.
Step 4: Stir to incorporate. Stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until just combined—don’t overmix. (Overmixing develops the gluten and can lead to tough muffins—stop stirring when you no longer see streaks of dry flour.)
Step 5: Fill the muffin tin. Line the muffin tin with muffin liners for easy release and cleanup. Then use an ice cream scoop or two spoons to fill the liners all the way to the top with batter. Filling the cups to the top helps give the muffins a nice domed shape—if using a scoop, this also keeps your portions even for consistent baking.
Step 6: Top off the muffins. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of chocolate chips evenly over the muffin tops, pressing them in lightly. Adding chips to the tops makes them look like bakery-style muffins and makes sure every bite has visible chocolate.
Step 7: Bake. Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 8 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) and bake for 12 minutes more, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Starting at a high temp helps the muffins rise quickly and form domed tops, while lowering the heat ensures they bake through evenly. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. The muffins can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.
More Chocolate Recipes You May Like
Chocolate Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup low-fat buttermilk (see note)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- ⅔ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder, such as Hershey's
- 1¼ cups (packed) light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
Instructions
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425°F (220°C). Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
- In a large measuring cup or bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla extract.
- In another large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Rub the mixture through your fingers to break up any lumps of brown sugar.
- To the dry ingredients, add ¾ cup (115 g) of the chocolate chips, the buttermilk-egg mixture, and the melted butter. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, mix until just combined.
- Using an ice cream scoop or two spoons, fill the muffin cups to the brim with batter. Distribute the remaining ¼ cup (40 g) of chocolate chips evenly over the muffin tops, pressing them lightly into the batter. Place in the oven and bake for 8 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350°F (175°C) and bake for about 12 minutes more, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean (check a few spots as the melted chocolate chips will make the tester look wet). Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for about 5 minutes before removing the muffins from the pan; cool on a rack.
Notes
- If you don't have any buttermilk on hand, you can make your own using milk and lemon juice or vinegar. Check out how to make your own buttermilk.
- Freezing Instructions: The muffins can be frozen in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag for up to 3 months. Thaw for 3 to 4 hours on the countertop before serving. To reheat, wrap individual muffins in aluminum foil and place in a preheated 350°F (175°C) oven until warm.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Are you able to provide the ingredients in grams? I have no idea what is the size / definition for cup, thank you
Hi, The great majority of my recipes (including this one) include conversions to metric/weight measurements. To view them, scroll down to the recipe, and immediately under the recipe title on the right side, you’ll see a little toggle. If you move it from “cup measures” to metric, you’ll see measurements that will work for you. Hope you enjoy the muffins if you make them!
Absolutely wonderful recipe! I have food allergies, so ended up making my normal substitutions and left out the chocolate chips and they still turned out great. I will be recommending this to friends.
{2T flax seed and 6T water for the 2 eggs}
{1T white vinegar with a scant cup rice milk for the buttermilk}
{1/2 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp cream of tartar for the 1 tsp baking powder}
What a wonderful chocolate chip muffin. I made a jumbo muffins (a total of 6), and they turned out delicious.
I have 2 questions:
1. What is the easiest way to get jumbo muffins out of a tin in one piece? I did not want to cool in muffin tin since the directions said to take out of tins after a specified amount of time, and I did not want muffins to be over baked and dry.
2. Should I let jumbo muffins cool completely in tin?
Any tips you can send my way is much appreciated. Thanks again for sharing this awesome recipe.😊
Hi Hope, glad you liked the muffins! I’d recommend sticking with the instructions and removing the muffins from the tin after about 5 minutes. (If you leave them in there for too long they can get soggy.) Did you use paper liners in the muffin tin? That’s really what keeps them from sticking.
Dear Jenn,
Thanks for the tips. I did not use liners, as my jumbo liners did not reach top of cupcake insert. Next time I’ll use the liners even if they do not reach the top of the cupcake compartments.
Thanks again for sharing this recipe and for responding to my questions.
Have a nice day😊
Regards,
Hope
Made these in large muffins… following the times and temps for cooking. At the end of time mine were still like batter in the middle. Leaving them longer at 350… Afraid of the out come.
Hi Stef, Do you mean jumbo muffins? If so, they usually take 5 to 10 minutes longer to bake. Hope they came out okay!
Best recipe I also added chopped walnuts which was a hit but other than that I followed recipe to the tee excellent
Have you ever tried adding bananas to this recipe? If so, how much and at what point and did it change the baking time?
Hi Jenny, I wouldn’t recommend adding bananas to this recipe but I do have a chocolate banana bread that you can use for muffins. Hope you enjoy if you try it!
Best chocolate muffins. I used golden brown sugar, that’s all I had, and it was just so delicious and just the right amount of sweetness.
While mixing these up I knew they were going to be delicious! I could smell the chocolate and the richness of the batter. I baked them and after waiting about 10 minutes of cooling time my husband and I split one! They are absolutely delicious! Thanks for another winning recipe!
These are delicious but have the texture more like a cupcake than a muffin. How could I make them a little more dense, like a muffin?
Hi Laura, You could try adding a little more flour, but I’m concerned that would make them dry. I’d probably just look for a different recipe that will give you a denser texture.
Like some reviews I thought these were a bit on the dry side. I made adjustments to my cooking time per other reviews and the fact that my oven runs on the hot side. Good flavor but to dry for us.
Great recipe. Loved it. Very easy and delicious.
Delicious! My family and I have fallen in love with so many of your baked treats! This is at the top of our list. It’s not too sweet, fluffy, and moist!