Chocolate Muffins
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Calling all chocoholics! These tender chocolate muffins with a double hit of chocolate make a delicious breakfast or after-school snack.
The men in my family all have one thing in common: they are serious chocoholics. Growing up, my dad lived on a steady diet of chocolate cake and chocolate chip cookies, and he always kept a stash of Hershey’s Kisses in the back corner of the freezer, where my sister and I couldn’t reach them.
My son has clearly inherited this chocolate obsession, and he knows that flattery and praise are all it takes to get me into the kitchen, covered in cocoa powder. These tender chocolate muffins with a double hit of chocolate are one of his all-time favorites. They are easy to whip up with everyday ingredients. 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.
Table of Contents
“These muffins are spectacular! They come out beautiful, moist and chocolatey every time I make them.”
What you’ll need To Make Chocolate Muffins
- Eggs: Provide structure and moisture, contributing to the tender texture.
- Buttermilk: Adds moisture, enhances the muffins’ flavor, and interacts with baking soda to help the muffins rise.
- Vanilla Extract: Elevates the chocolate flavor and adds depth to the taste.
- All-Purpose Flour: Forms the base of the batter. Measure it by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off to ensure accuracy.
- Natural Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: Provides intense chocolate flavor without excess sweetness.
- Light Brown Sugar: Adds moisture, sweetness, and a subtle caramel note. Because it tends to clump, gently pack the sugar into the measuring cup to ensure you’ve got the correct amount.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Leavening agents that help the muffins rise and achieve a fluffy texture.
- Semi-Sweet or Bittersweet Chocolate Chips: Introduce pockets of melty chocolate for a double hit of chocolate.
- Butter: Contributes to tenderness and richness in flavor.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by combining the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl.
Whisk well.
In another large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Whisk well and then rub the mixture through your fingers to break up any lumps of brown sugar.
To the dry ingredients, add 3/4 cup 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 1/4 cup of chocolate chips evenly over the muffin tops, pressing them lightly into the batter.
Place in the oven and bake for 8 minutes at 425°F (220°C), 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.
Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Natural cocoa powder is acidic and has a more intense, slightly bitter flavor, while Dutch process cocoa powder is treated with an alkali to neutralize acidity, resulting in a milder taste and darker color. Dutch process cocoa powder is not used quite as often but if you bake for chocolate lovers, it’s good to have in your pantry for recipes like flourless chocolate cake or this double chocolate skillet cookie. Dutch process and natural cocoa powder are not always interchangeable in recipes due to differences in acidity and leavening properties, so, for optimal results, it’s important to use the type specified in the recipe.
Muffins are always best enjoyed fresh on the same day, but they’ll keep nicely in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Sure! The muffins can be frozen in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag for up to 3 months. Thaw for 3 – 4 hours on the countertop before serving. To reheat, wrap individual muffins in aluminum foil and place in a 350°F-oven until warm.
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Chocolate Muffins
Calling all chocoholics! These tender chocolate muffins with a double hit of chocolate make a delicious breakfast or after-school snack.
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 light brown sugar, packed (be sure it is fresh with no hard lumps)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
- 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
Instructions
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425°F. 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 of the chocolate chips, the buttermilk-egg mixture, and the melted butter. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, mix until 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 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 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.
- Note: If you’d like to make your own buttermilk, check out the easy method here.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The muffins can be frozen in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag for up to 3 months. Thaw for 3 – 4 hours on the countertop before serving. To reheat, wrap individual muffins in aluminum foil and place in a preheated 350°F oven until warm.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 324
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated fat: 8 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Sugar: 31 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Sodium: 293 mg
- Cholesterol: 52 mg
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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Best ever muffins. Turn out amazing every time.
My husband and grandson loved these chocolate muffins! They are now in my rotation. This recipe is so easy to make, too. I didn’t have a muffin pan so I made them just like I would brownies. I am so happy to find this homemade sweet that my family really loves!
We just made this because of the left over buttermilk. Turned out well!! recipe was easy to follow (as yours usually are) and tasted great. Thanks
Sorry to say it tasted muffin like chocolate. I got a taste of soil and soap that I couldn’t get out of my mouth for hours. Sorry, just being honest.
Can you use oil instead of butter to make it a bit more moist?
Sure. Hope you enjoy!
These are the best muffins we have ever made or tasted!
They are almost too good to be muffins – they are better than chocolate cake.
I have actually baked these in a 8-9″ round springform with ganache on top and it worked beautifully.
I’ve used buttermilk, and half-sour cream half-milk, and both work great (the diluted sour-cream version was perhaps even better, as where we live in the UK buttermilk is thick and funny).
My mum wouldn’t eat chocolate muffins before these. They completely vindicate the chocolate muffin (And there are some very dry and nasty, or spongey and petrol-tasting, chocolate muffins out there).
Thanks again, Jenn!
These were so simple and turned out beautiful and delicious. Thanks!
Could I add coconut to the muffin batter and, if so, how much coconut do you think I could add? Thanks so much!
Sure — I’d add about 1/2 cup. Hope you enjoy!
If I ever end up on death row, a dozen of these muffins would be the last thing I would want to eat!
Since that probably won’t happen, I’ll just continue to make them.
I used Ghiradelli Majestic cocoa, it is luxurious.
@onceuponachef
I was super excited to make these but they taste more like a “healthy” chocolate muffin. I know to each is own, but these are not sweet at all. The brown sugar is not as strong as white sugar. I feel like there should be a disclaimer that these are not sweet. Im going to add frosting and pretend they’re cupcakes because they aren’t working out as muffins for me. The tops are pointed like mountains too not sure why.
Excellent chocolate muffins! I swapped about 50 grams whole wheat flour for AP flour without sacrificing texture or flavor. Also reduced sugar by 20 grams. Thank you for including the toggle for the metric system. I find it much easier and neater to weigh my ingredients!
Wow, never making box muffins again. These were delicious! Thank you!
I made this recipe and the muffins turned out great. I mixed in 1 cup of frozen fruit, that was thawed and drained.
Absolutely fabulous. My first time trying these. Perfectly moist.
Used Green and Blacks Cocoa Powder. Not bitter. Will be my go to recipe.
hi
I followed the recipe as is but it overflowed and the top was flat. They taste good though. What could have gone wrong?
Hi, Sorry you had a problem with these! Is your baking powder or baking soda really old or expired? If not, is there any chance you could’ve made a measuring error?
No coco powder?! I added 2-3T nescafe coco powder (best tasting “like chocolate”) and made it taste even better (5 stars). Substituted the brown sugar for white sugar-free. It made 17 medium cupcakes. Good Luck
Absolutely delicious… Thank you for this recipe…
Delicious chocolate muffins when you need a quick fix & crave a chocolate cupcake. I didn’t have buttermilk, so substituted with milk & vinegar proportion. I made 1/2 the recipe & baked for less time at 350F (9 vs. 12 mins) as some reviewers said it was dry. Mine turned out moist & flavorful using a mix of bittersweet & semi-sweet chocolate chips. A real winner!
These chocolate chip chocolate muffins are yummy! They came out perfect. Followed recipe exactly. Super moist, fluffy,, and not overly sweet. Will definitely make again. 🙂
Thank you for this recipe! I have already made it twice in one week because they are so delicious! Everyone who has tried them has really liked them. They are a little crumbly and have lots of crumbs but I don’t mind. Thank you again!
For those who usually bake with less sugar: I bake a lot of muffins and I always halve the amount of sugar in recipes, or replace with maple syrup, with satisfying results. In this case I think I went overboard: I put only 1 cup of non-packed brown sugar for a double batch, and followed the rest of the instructions, except that I put a chopped up 82% dark chocolate bar They came out nice looking and with a good texture, but a tad too bitter— even to my liking. My fault, and I can’t wait to try them again with a bit more brown sugar, or at least some sweet chocolate chips!
Lovely! Learned my lesson yesterday though and didn’t try to get all the mix into 12 muffin cups (perhaps US regular muffin cups are bigger than European?) Ended up with a batch of mini muffins too. Thanks for the recipe!
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!
I made these tonight for breakfasts this week, so I haven’t tried the muffins yet, but they look and smell amazing! The directions were so clear and specific and helpful. The baking times were exactly right to get the muffins done in my oven. I love chocolate, so I subbed out about a quarter cup of flour for an extra third of a cup of cocoa.
What can I add if I don’t have buttermilk?
Hi Vik, You can make your own: Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to liquid measuring cup, then add milk until it reaches the 1-cup line. Let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes until it starts to curdle, and then it’s ready to use.
THE GREATEST choccy muffins ever. I added less sugar but not that much less, added a little cinnamon and cooked for 4 mins more and they’re super moist. will be keepin the recipe fs
I love anything that is chocolate as well as my kids. This muffins are moist and delicious. My kids love it every time I make this muffins for breakfast. I love a lot of your recipes. Thanks!!!
These are awesome! Dense and rich with a crunchy top. I’m a chocoholic and these certainly hit the spot. I’ll be making these often!
Yum! Recipe is hard to mess up. Easy to follow and delicious muffins! Thank you for sharing these great recipes and tips!
I made these muffins and I was completely blown away. All the other recipes did not produce the same dense and moist muffins like this one and the best part was the top was nice and crunchy.
This is now my go to recipe for choc muffin and I made a huge batch to freeze but it was gone before I could freeze it 🤤
Hello. Quick question, is it okay to mix bittersweet chocolate chips and white chocolate chips in this recipe?
Sure!
I didn’t care for these. Much too dense and rich.
Didn’t have Buttermilk, used sour cream and water.
They had to cook longer than the time it said.
I used regular butter & regular (sweetened) dark cocoa powder & they weren’t very sweet. I think if I followed exactly, I wouldn’t have liked how plain or bitter they might have tasted. I love dark chocolate but I also love sweet. Anyway, I will continue to make them the way I did. Grateful for the recipe!!
Best chocolate muffins I have ever made! Didn’t have buttermilk so I substituted milked down Greek yogurt. Also did not pack the brown sugar ‘cause most recipes tend to be a tad too sweet.
Super moist and domed perfectly!
True perfection!
hi!! if i were to use this recipe but made 24 mini muffins instead of 12 regular muffins, how long do you think i should put them in the oven?
Hi Kelsey, For mini muffins, I’d adjust the oven temp to 375°F and start checking after 12-15 min. Enjoy!
Thank you for these guidelines!
Could you add ground flax without causing a problem??
Hi Jennifer, I suspect you could add a little, but I’d keep it to a minimum so that you don’t significantly change the dry to wet ratios in the recipe. Enjoy!
Delicious! I love that they’re crispy on top, but moist inside. I made these this morning as a birthday treat for my son. He asked if they are muffins or cupcakes – great question! I guess we call them muffins, when eaten for breakfast to make ourselves feel better! This recipe is a keeper!
The best chocolate muffins! My go to recipe when I am craving chocolate muffins. Easy to make, tender, tasty and with the right amount of sweetness.
I made these for my grandchildren today, they loved them. 🇦🇺
Way too much baking powder/baking soda, how can anyone eat this?
Sorry you had a problem with these! Did you make any adjustments to the recipe?
I made them again with 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder instead of 2, and they were good.
Are you sure you read the recipe right? One time I was baking and misread teaspoon and tablespoon.
These muffins were amazing! I put in extra chocolate chips 🙂
Just wanted to say, I made these with Bob’s one on one gluten free baking flour and it worked perfectly.
https://www.bobsredmill.com/gluten-free-1-to-1-baking-flour.html
The muffins were very good, but recommend adding a bit more sugar and less flour because they were a bit dry.
Can I use this recipe to make it into a cake loaf?
Hi Pam, Sure, you could make this in a loaf pan. (I’d use a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.) Hope you enjoy!
Just made these and they are incredibly chocolatey as promised. I especially love that I don’t need a mixer for it. A bit on the dry/crumbly side, though, so I might use half butter and half oil next time to make them a bit more moist.
I made these muffins and they were delicious, so chocolatey and moist! After I turned the oven to 350 degrees they were done in 8 minutes. I will be making them again.
Thank you for this amazing recipe! Made this twice now and muffins have always turned out perfect – super moist and delicious!