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
Calling all chocolate lovers! These melt-in-your-mouth 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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Hi, just made these and they turned out beautifully! I made a few adjustments and thought I’d share. I was out of brown sugar and subbed white without issues. I also cut down the sugar to 3/4 c. and added a medium mashed banana to the buttermilk mixture. I made a buttermilk mixture with 1 T lemon juice and 1/2 c milk + 1/2 c plain nonfat yogurt. I also subbed out 1/2 c flour with 1/4 c. wheat germ and 1/4 c. ground flaxseed. I baked them in mini muffin tins 5 min at 450 and 6 min at 350. Thanks for the awesome recipe! They will be devoured by my 6 kids!!
Just pulled these out of the oven, and the smell of chocolatey goodness is everywhere! Can’t wait to dig in. Thanks for another great recipe❤️
Hi. Just made these and the taste is awesome however they overflowed. What did I do wrong?
Hmmmm… these generally rise nicely. When you say they overflowed, do you mean that they didn’t rise and batter pooled around the muffin wells? Did you make any adjustments to the recipe?
Perfect muffins. Love it when a recipe works and doesn’t need to be tweaked at all. I know every time I try something from once upon a chef it will be a hit.
Delicious!!! Not overly sweet but just the right amount of chocolate. I ended up baking them in several mini-bundt pans and serving them with ice cream as they were the perfect serving of chocolate cake for everyone.
This is one of the best muffins recipes I have ever made. They are light, tender and have a perfect amount of chocolate and sweetness. My family loved these delicious chocolate muffins and this recipe will be made often for family and friends. I visit your recipe site so often because recipes are easy to follow, you’ve done all of the perfecting and tweaking and I get such wonderful comments from family and guests.
Hello! Is it possible to add protein powder to this recipe? And if yes, how much? Much love from Edmonton 🙂
Hi Faiqha, I’ve never incorporated protein powder into baked goods, so I can’t say for sure, but I suspect you could get away with adding up to 1/4 cup to the flour mixture. You may need to add just a little more buttermilk so the liquid to dry ratios aren’t off. Please LMK how they turn out if you try it!
Wow! These are simply phenomenal! My 17 year-old son recently requested me to bake chocolate muffins and I scoured the internet for a recipe. I read MANY recipes but for some reason I found none appealing until I came to this one. I will admit I was skeptical about all that brown sugar, but I followed the recipe to the letter and my son announced they were a 10 out of 10 and my husband said they were a 20 out of 10! Just made them again and this time I put a few left over fall M&Ms on top and made them in Texas-size muffin tins and the result was just as excellent. Thank you so much for a fantastic simple but extraordinarily delicious chocolate muffin!!
Hi! I want to add some Guiness to these.. Would you recommend cutting some of the buttermilk? I lobe chocolate and guiness in a cupcake and Id like to transfer it into a muffin! Any tips?
Hi Emily, I think it would work. I’d replace half the buttermilk with Guinness. Hope you enjoy!
Made these muffins today! Turned out exactly as your pics. Delicious! Not too sweet at all. Our family loved them. I baked mine for 8 mins then turned down to 350 degrees for only 10 minutes and they were done!
Hi there! Can I make the batter the night before and bake in the morning?
Unfortunately, it won’t work to make the batter ahead; the leavening will be activated when the wet and dry ingredients are combined and, so when you go to bake them, they won’t rise as they should. You can combine the wet and the dry ingredients (and keep them in two separate bowls) the day before, and then bake them in the morning. Hope that helps!
Thanks so much for the tip!