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Chocolate Chip Muffins

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A kid favorite, these chocolate chip muffins taste like chocolate chip cookies in muffin form.

Muffin pan full of chocolate chip muffins.

These rich chocolate chip muffins are a favorite in my comfort food bag of tricks, right alongside chocolate chip cookies and chocolate chip scones. They’re the perfect treat to whip up when someone has a rough day or the weather is dreary. You can mix the batter by hand in just 10 minutes — and the muffins are out of the oven 20 minutes later, ready to make everyone smile!

“Moist, delicious, and the perfect amount of chocolate chips — I couldn’t keep my kids and husband away from them!!”

Sandy

What You’ll Need To Make Chocolate Chip Muffins

ingredients for chocolate chip muffins
  • All-Purpose Flour: Provides structure and volume to the muffins. Measure by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off to ensure accuracy.
  • Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Act as leavening agents helping the muffins rise.
  • Melted Butter: Adds richness and flavor to the muffins.
  • Granulated Sugar and Light Brown Sugar: Sweetens the muffins and contributes to their soft, moist texture.
  • Vanilla Extract: Enhances the flavor profile, giving a hint of sweetness and depth.
  • Eggs: Bind the ingredients together and provide structure and moisture.
  • Sour Cream: Adds moisture and tenderness to the muffins
  • Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: Infuse the muffins with bursts of chocolate flavor. Mini morsels are used as they are less likely to sink to the bottom of the muffins during baking.
  • Turbinado Sugar: Adds a crunchy texture and caramelized sweetness to the muffin tops.
  • Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements

Step-By-Step Instructions

To begin, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

whisking dry ingredients for chocolate chip muffins

Next, in a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla.

whisking in eggs

Whisk in the eggs, then add the sour cream.

adding sour cream

Whisk until smooth.

whisked liquid ingredients for chocolate chip muffins

Add the dry ingredients.

whisking dry ingredients into wet ingredients

Whisk until evenly combined, then add the chocolate chips.

stirring in chocolate chips

Stir until evenly mixed.

chocolate chip muffin batter

Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pan, filling the muffin cups about three-quarters full. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining chocolate chips, followed by the coarse sugar.

chocolate chip muffins ready to bake

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until domed and golden brown.

chocolate chip muffins fresh out of the oven

Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. The muffins are best enjoyed fresh on the same day, but leftovers will keep well in a covered container for a few days. The muffins can also be frozen for 3 to 4 months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make chocolate chip muffins ahead?

The muffins are best enjoyed fresh on the same day, but leftovers will keep well in a covered container for a few days. (To refresh individual muffins, warm in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds.)

Can I freeze chocolate chip muffins?

Sure, they freeze nicely! 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 oven until warm.

Can I substitute yogurt for sour cream in chocolate chip muffins?

Yep, it’s perfectly fine to use Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream with no other modifications. In fact, many recipes, like these banana chocolate chip muffins, specify that you can use either sour cream or Greek yogurt in the batter.

What can I use in place of turbinado or sanding sugar?

You can use brown sugar as a substitute for turbinado or sanding sugar. It will achieve a similar crunchy, slightly caramelized texture on the muffin toppings.

chocolate chip muffins cooling on rack

You May Also Like

Chocolate Chip Muffins

A kid favorite, these chocolate chip muffins taste like chocolate chip cookies in muffin form.

Servings: 12 muffins
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes
Total Time: 35 Minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • Heaping ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, melted
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • ⅔ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus about 3 tablespoons more for sprinkling on top
  • About 1½ tablespoons coarse sugar, such as turbinado or sanding sugar, for sprinkling on top

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs, followed by the sour cream. Add the dry ingredients and whisk until evenly combined. Stir in ⅔ cup of the chocolate chips.
  4. Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pan, filling the muffin cups about three-quarters full. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining chocolate chips, followed by the coarse sugar. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until domed and golden brown. Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. The muffins are best enjoyed fresh on the same day, but leftovers will keep well in a covered container for a few days. (To refresh individual muffins, warm in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds.)
  5. Freezer-Friendly 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 oven until warm.

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Serving size: 1 muffin
  • Calories: 348
  • Fat: 16 g
  • Saturated fat: 10 g
  • Carbohydrates: 46 g
  • Sugar: 29 g
  • Fiber: 1 g
  • Protein: 4 g
  • Sodium: 215 mg
  • Cholesterol: 64 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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Comments

  • These chocolate chip muffins are the best muffins I’ve ever had! I’ve made them a couple of times now and they are incredibly moist and tasty. Jenn, could I add raspberries to this recipe?

    • Glad you like them! Yes, I think you could get away with adding some raspberries.

  • I found this recipe and was very skeptical. Never had I used sour cream in a muffin. Well, since finding this recipe, I have made it weekly! I have three boys who literally stand at the stove waiting for me to remove these from the oven. I make a double batch because the first batch is gone within minutes….the second batch lasts for a few days and then they are begging me to make another batch! I have sent this recipe to many friends and their response has been the same! I have a batch in the oven now and banana bread waiting to go in next. Love this chef’s recipes!!

  • Can I use cake flour instead of all purpose flour? Thank you.

    • Hi Jes, or the best result, I’d stick with all-purpose flour here — sorry!

  • I looked through a lot of recipes but this one was the absolute best. Wouldn’t change a thing. Thank you

  • Amazing!! will absolutely make this again!

    • Will these work with regular chocolate chips?

      • Hi Cheryl, They will work, but they may sink a bit.

  • You are now my go-to site for recipes! I trust everything you make. My 4 year old loves baking so we cook often together. These are currently in the oven, looking forward to eating them!

    • So glad you’ve had success with the recipes — hope these were just as good!

  • Absolutely loved them! They were delicious! Although mine don’t come out golden brown, not sure why. Because of this I accidentally over baked them the first time cause they didn’t brown on top and I left them in thinking they weren’t done. My bad! So mine don’t look as beautiful but the taste is all there!! Thank you!! If anyone has suggestions to get them that beautiful color please share!

    • Mine won’t brown either! Maybe Because of the sour cream?

  • I love these muffins, but I think they have a little too much chocolate. I use a 1/2 cup of chocolate chips instead of 2/3 and it is perfect. If you like the sweetness, 2/3 would probably work for you.

  • After reading all of the wonderful reviews I tried this recipe. While they looked great, were super moist they were tasteless. Unfortunately theses are not our favourite. A miss not a hit for our family.

  • My (teen) kids have been requesting muffins and I’m so happy I found this recipe. I made two batches in one week! They are delicious! I only had regular-sized chips, so used them. And didn’t have Turbinado sugar, so skipped that. Still amazing. Will make often!

  • These are amazing!!

    • — Samantha Francis
    • Reply
  • Amazing muffins! My family loves them. Thank you for another great recipe. You are the real deal no nonsense leaving things out. Everything a make from your site turns out fantastic.

  • Very easy to make! My house smells amazing

  • Hi Jenn –
    I love all your online recipes and enjoy the recipes in your cookbook too! Can I bake the chocolate chip muffins as a bread ? In what size loaf pan and how long do I bake on 350 degrees?
    Thank you,
    Cindy

    • — Cindy Bankalter
    • Reply
    • Sure, you could make this in a loaf pan. I’d use a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and start checking for doneness at 45 minutes. Please LMK how it turns out!

  • Can this recipe be made without sour cream or yogurt? I’m out of both.

    • Hi Lori, If you have buttermilk on hand, you could use that. It may give the muffins a slightly different texture but it should work. Hope you enjoy!

  • Hi Jen, can this recipe be modified with self rising flour?

    • Hi Bob, I’ve only used all-purpose flour for these, so I can’t say for sure, but here is some useful info about subbing self-rising flour for all-purpose. Please LMK how they turn out if you try them!

      • Wonderful recipe! Very easy and extremely tasty.

  • Amazing! My 4yo daughter and I made these today and they were so easy and delicious to make! Thank you for a wonderful recipe!! We are huge fans of all your recipes 🙂

  • Made t today for my boys and everybody loves it. Super easy and taste really great ! Not dry compare to other chocolate muffins recipe. I love your website!!

  • So If I switch the recipe to metric it says 100 g white sugar. That is weight, right? all of the metric is in weight? I usually like to measure them and some of your recipes have both g and cups on them. but this one has one or the other and not both. Its so much easier to weigh the ingredients. just checking. thanks

    • Hi Anne, My “metric” recipes use the metric system of units —litres (L) and millilitres (mL), grams (g) and kilograms (kg), and Celsius (°C). So, you’re correct, 100 g is in weight. Hope that clarifies!

  • best chocolate chip muffin ever! great instructions, easy to follow and absolutely delicious; my entire family LOVES them

  • Delicious.

  • Loved the Chocolate Chip Muffins… thank you for the recipe!

  • One of the best recipes! Simple and fast to make. Amazing taste. Not a fan of chocolate but I cldnt stop popping in those muffins. I made them as mini ones and they came out so good 😀

  • Tastes great 👍🏾

    • What about baking temperature?

      • Hi Dorina, the baking temperature is 350°F/175°C. Hope you enjoy!

  • I’ve made these muffins a couple of times now and they are fantastic. I skipped the sugar on top and instead put some peanut butter chips along with the chocolate chips. A big hit in my house! Thanks, Jenn!

    • — Jadwiga Balzano
    • Reply
  • First attempt at making muffins and they turned out perfectly !!

  • AMAZING…..another great recipe! I omitted the extra chocolate chips and sugar on top and they tasted great. I loved how they domed so nicely. No need to buy bakery muffins again.
    Thanks Jenn!

  • These were ridiculously good. Thank you!

    • — Margaret Kelly
    • Reply
  • Hi, do you think I could substitute Greek yogurt for all of the sour cream and if so, is it 1:1 ratio? Thanks!

    • Yes and yes 🙂

      • Hi Jen!

        I can’t wait to make these for working from home next week.
        I’ll have creme fraiche (I’m making your lasagna!) — could I use that in lieu of the sour cream?

        Thanks so much!

        • Sure, Caitlin, that should work. Hope you enjoy!

  • The muffins themselves were delicious – I especially love the extra chips and sugar on top – but they stuck to my pan even though I generously sprayed it first. I’d already learned to run a knife around the edges from your strawberry muffin recipe but I needed to do much more to extricate these muffins. Didn’t affect the taste, of course. Next time I’ll use muffin pan liners.

  • DELICIOUS! Love this recipe! Didn’t have enough sour cream so used half greek yogurt and they were still amazing!

  • Jenn, have mercy—these muffins are scrumptious! I couldn’t find mini chips; in fact I only found reg sized milk chocolate chips but they worked perfectly. Every single time I make one of your recipes it results in rave reviews. Thank you for another one!

    • — Steph the Girl Mom
    • Reply
  • I typically do not make muffins because I prefer quick breads. I do love anything chocolate chip so I tried them this past weekend. They are delicious. It is not always easy to find a good chocolate chip recipe and I have tried a few. This is definitely a keeper.

    Oh, and no mixer necessary! That is always a plus.

  • I just baked these and they are delicious! I love recipes that use sour cream vs milk because I find they stay moist and fluffy! The crunchy topping with the mini chocolate chips are great and I love that I can whip these up by hand. Also, not having to wait for the butter to come at room temperature means we can have them when we want them 🙂 Thanks Jenn for another amazing recipe, it’s going to be one of our favourites.

    PS. I am going to try them as mini muffins next time, I didn’t get a chance to see your response before I started baking them.

    PPS. Thanks for always responding to the questions! You’re the best!

    • Glad you enjoyed them! 🙂

  • Hi Jenn,
    I would like to try this recipe, can they be turned into mini muffins? If so, same temperature and time in oven? Thanks so much!!!

    • Sure Trish, you could turn these into mini muffins. I’d keep the oven temp the same, but bake time will be shorter. I’d start checking them at around 12 minutes. Enjoy!

  • As part of Sunday brunch, I made your chocolate chip muffins and blueberry muffins. My daughters said they looked like “bakery muffins”. My grandson loved them. My husband, who is not as much a muffin fan, devoured two! Because they are so delicious, both recipes will now take the place of all other recipes of that type. We especially liked the crunchy topping from the turbinado sugar. I use your cooking site so often and I thank you for sharing your expertise.

  • Hi! I just made these muffins and they are really good! Very easy to make! I am wrapping them in plastic party bags and will put one on my co-workers desk’s in the morning for a fun Monday treat!

    • Hi, can I substitute sour cream with all purpose cream or full cream milk? If yes, would it still be 1:1?
      Thank you

      • Hi Jamie, I wasn’t familiar with all purpose cream so I looked it up. You’ll need the acidity that sour cream provides. If you have yogurt that would work. If not, here are some tips to make your own sour cream with all purpose cream and lemon juice. (Please keep in mind that I haven’t tried this myself.) Please LMK how they turn out if you make the muffins!

  • Love these muffins!!! Such a treat and so easy to make!! These are a new favourite in our house! Thanks Jenn!!

  • Family loved them. Recipe is a keeper. Thank you!

  • Delicious! The kids loved them.

  • I just made these muffins and they are excellent. Some recipes, I can taste sour cream (which I don’t like), these muffins brown well and I don’t taste sour cream at all. Very moist!!

  • Easy to make and delicious. I used regular chocolate chips.

  • Inspired by your narrative, I made these for my sick kid yesterday. Easy and delish!

    • Glad they were a success — hope your kiddo feels better soon! 🙂

  • Delicious! Really moist and not too sweet. A perfect balance for a dessert or breakfast treat. Thanks for this recipe.

  • Yum! These came out perfect. I halved the recipe for my 6 muffin tin and baked them for 18 minutes. I love all your recipes!

  • Hi Jenn,

    My husband can’t do dairy ): Instead of the sour cream, could we substitute that for lactose free milk instead?

    • Hi Carissa, I’d suggest using dairy-free yogurt or sour cream instead.

  • Is it ok to use regular size choc chips?

    • Sure, Megan — I’ve made them that way and it works just fine. 🙂

  • Stellar recipe Jen! Just cranked ‘em out this a.m. on a dreary WI winter day. Definitely a mood lifter!!

    • — Marilyn Holbus
    • Reply
  • Hi Jenn- Could I add some banana in to these muffins or would it mess with the consistency? Thanks!

    Jen

    • Hi Jen, I wouldn’t recommend it. If you’d like banana chocolate chip muffins, you could use this recipe and add mini chocolate chips to it (and you could omit the topping if you’d like). Hope that helps!

  • Could you substitute yogurt or buttermilk for sour cream?

    • — Anne de Schweinitz
    • Reply
    • Sure. Buttermilk may give the muffins a slightly different texture but either yogurt or buttermilk should work. Hope you enjoy!

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