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, just made your chocoholic muffins, how wonderful, I’m an ozzie, living permanently in my caravan, travelling our beautiful country, I love to cook and your recipes are always a pleasure to make! Wendylou
I simply love these muffins- I made them as a last minute dessert for a New Year’s party and they were a big hit. They are moist and not very sweet. I can;t wait to make them again soon.
Hi Jenn,
I can’t tell you how much I love love love all your recipe. Everything is awesome! I’ve made quite a few dishes from you and I’m always craving for more.
I’m going to make this choco muffin cake for Christmas Eve for my family. Thank you!
I followed this recipe and had a strange result. The bottoms of my muffins had a nice consistency, but the tops very dense, with completely melted chocolate chips that didn’t look very pretty. Is this typical, and if not, what do you think made this happen? In contrast, I get perfect results with the Best Blueberry Muffins every time (i.e., often) so I’m not sure what happened here. Thanks.
Hi Helena, So sorry you had trouble with the muffins. Did you reduce the oven temp to 350?
What is a stick of butter?
Thanks
Olga, It is the equivalent of 1/2 cup of butter.
Love love these muffins but I was wondering if I can make them as just chocolate chip muffins
Hi Nalini, I don’t recommend it — sorry!
Hi Jenn, These were the BEST Chocolate muffin I’ve had so far (and I’ve tried too many to count – chocolate cake and muffins are my favourite!) but I find they either are: too dry, or moist but oily, or too rich. I made them for a picnic and everyone loved them! I’m glad this muffin recipe doesn’t use oil like the recipe I tried before.
Thanks for the metric measurements, most helpful!
I baked mine for 2 extra minutes at 350 degrees F. Next time I plan to make these as mini-muffins, do you have any experience yet with adapting the timing and temperature for mini muffins? I see below your advised checking after 12-15 minutes. Does that mean the 12 minutes at 425 degrees F should be shortened too or all at one temperature?
Can’t wait to try your Blueberry Muffins and Pumpkin Bread and savoury recipes. Thanks!
Hi Kate, So glad you enjoyed them! For mini muffins, I would cook at one temp (375°F) and start checking after 12-15 min. Please let me know how they turn out 🙂
These muffins are so perfect! They are chocolatey, moist and super delicious! I am so glad I found your site. Sometimes I’ll be in the mood for something specific and I used to search the Internet, reading tons of recipes and reviews. Now I just see if it’s something you’ve made, and if so I stop my search. I’ve made several of your recipes, and they all turned out delicious! I know my ingredients will not be wasted, and that’s very important to me…(a busy mom of 4.) And THANK YOU for including metric. I’m a bit of a perfectionist, so measuring by weight is the best way in my opinion?
Loved these muffins! If I wanted to make them as mini muffins, how long would I bake them?
Hi Amanda, I’d start checking at 12-15 minutes. Enjoy!
Amazingly easy to make and always gone within 24 hours!!! Even those who aren’t into chocolate cake eat these
Can it be made into a cake tho?
Hi Ruth, Glad you enjoyed! Might be a little dense for a cake.