Chocolate Muffins
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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.
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Hi Jenn,
Will you please give me your recipe to make buttermilk? I made your chocolate muffins this morning & my buttermilk was bad. I looked up how to make it, but I want your recipe. Love, love, love all of your recipes!!
Thanks for inspiring me!!
Debra
Hi Debra, So glad you like the recipes! I actually don’t have a recipe per se, but here’s the method: You’ll need milk and either white vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice. Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to a measuring cup and then add milk to the 1-cup line (use this same ratio of lemon juice/vinegar to milk when you need more than 1 cup of buttermilk). Let the mixture sit for 5 to 10 minutes. You’ll begin to see small curdled bits in the mixture; this means it’s ready to add to the recipe. Hope that helps!
Hi, I loved these muffins! So chocolatey and scrumptious. My kids couldn’t keep their hands off them! I noticed that few people commented that they found them dry. I definitely did NOT experience any dryness at all. I will be making these again soon!
the worst muffin I’ve ever done, and I bake a lot!
SOOOOO dry 🙁
Hi Jenn!
I bought both your cookbooks because all your recipes are always amazing! I only use your recipes now. That being said, this was first recipe out of maybe 100 I’ve made of yours that came out a little dry. I used the spoon and level method too. I was wondering though I made my own buttermilk using skim milk and lemon juice. Could that be the problem?
Also I noticed when I made your chocolate chip muffins you didn’t use cupcake liners? Why on some recipes you do and others you don’t? Some you have us spray liners? Just curious…..Thanks for all that you do for us with your blog and recipes!!!! Wish you could just “take the calories out of all these recipes!” Love, love, love your site!!
Denise Ksen Smith
Hi Denise, So glad you like the recipes but I’m sorry these came out dry for you! Other than making your own buttermilk (which shouldn’t have been a problem), did you make any adjustments to the recipe? If not, you could try reducing the oven temperature and baking them for the whole time at 350°F.
And I decide on whether to use liners, sprayed liners, or no liners at all based on the ingredients in the recipe and how much they would stick with any of the options (or to avoid having them stick). 🙂
Great flavor, moist and tender! I used canola oil instead of butter and full fat sour cream instead of buttermilk, got 16 muffins and baked 350° for 18 mins in silicone cupcake liners. They released very cleanly from the liners which isn’t always the case.
For those getting dry crumbly muffins, it’s likely the flour measure; buy a cheap electronic scale and weigh your ingredients- more accurate, consistent, and less washing up to do since you don’t need measuring cups!
These were great! Might need a little bit of modications to make it perfect. My husband said its not as sweet as he thought. Maybe use cane sugar half and brown sugar half? Otherwise it was great! I didn’t have buttermilk so I looked up how to make buttermilk online.. use mix 1 cup of milk and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and have it sit for 5 minutes before using it with the recipe. I promised myself to only eat one but couldn’t stop eating them!
What a fantastic recipe!
Absolutely delicious and so easy to make. The only thing I changed was I halved the amount of sugar. Will definitely make these again and again x
This recipe is easy and delicious! I used apple cider vinegar and 2% milk since I didn’t have low-fat buttermilk. I highly recommend!
So easy but tasty. Thank you for the recipe Jenn ☺️
Hello Jenn,
Will it sink if I put cream cheese in the middle of the muffin before putting it in the oven.
Thank you!
Joyce
Hi Joyce, I’m not sure, but my gut would be to recommend against it — sorry!
Sounds like you’re trying to make black-bottom cupcakes. These have a center with cream cheese, egg, sugar and vanilla, plus chocolate chips. The centers of these cupcakes taste
like cheesecake. If you decide to add cream cheese, add an egg, some sugar (maybe 1/4 to 1/2 cup depending on how sweet you prefer) and vanilla and you’ll have a cheesecake-like center. Of course you won’t be able to test for doneness in the cream cheese part of the muffin, test in a cake-y area.
That said, Jenn’s recipes are fantastic, maybe it’s not necessary to mess with perfection.