Chocolate Chip Muffins

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These easy chocolate chip muffins are soft and tender inside, with golden, sugar-crusted tops and mini chocolate chips in every bite.

Muffin pan full of chocolate chip muffins.

These chocolate chip muffins were one of my go-tos when my kids were growing up, especially when I had a houseful of their friends to feed. The batter comes together in just 10 minutes (no mixer needed), and 20 minutes later, you’ve got warm, melty, chocolatey muffins ready to eat.

“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: For the most accurate measurement, spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife.
  • Baking Powder & Baking Soda: Work together to give the muffins their lift and fluffy texture.
  • Melted Butter: Using melted butter keeps the batter quick and easy—no mixer needed.
  • Granulated Sugar and Light Brown Sugar: Using both gives the muffins sweetness and a subtle caramel note from the brown sugar.
  • Eggs & Vanilla: The eggs provide structure and richness, while vanilla rounds out the chocolate flavor.
  • Sour Cream: Keeps the muffins moist and gives them a tender crumb and soft texture. If you keep plain Greek yogurt on-hand, it’s perfectly fine to use it in place of the sour cream with no other modifications.
  • Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: Mini chocolate chips are less likely to sink to the bottom of the muffins during baking, which means more chocolate in every bite.
  • Coarse Sugar: Sprinkled over the muffins before baking, it gives the tops their signature sweet crunch.
  • Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements

How To Make Chocolate Chip Muffins

Combine the dry ingredients: Whisk the dry ingredients together well so the baking powder and baking soda are evenly distributed throughout the flour. This helps the muffins rise evenly.

whisking dry ingredients for chocolate chip muffins

Mix the wet ingredients: Whisk the melted butter with the sugars and vanilla until well combined, then add the eggs and sour cream.

Finish the batter: Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir just until combined. Once the flour goes in, avoid overmixing, which can make the muffins tough. Fold in the mini chocolate chips until evenly distributed.

Fill the muffin cups: Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, then sprinkle a few additional mini chocolate chips and some coarse sugar over the tops. The sugar bakes into a crisp, sparkly topping.

chocolate chip muffins ready to bake

Bake the muffins: Bake until the muffins are risen and golden on top. Let them cool briefly in the pan, then transfer them to a rack to finish cooling. These muffins are best the day they’re made, but leftovers keep well for a few days and can also be frozen. See the recipe card below for full storage and freezing instructions.

chocolate chip muffins fresh out of the oven

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Print

Chocolate Chip Muffins (Easy, No-Mixer)

Muffin pan full of chocolate chip muffins.
Packed with mini chocolate chips and finished with a crunchy sugar topping, these muffins have been a longtime favorite in my house.
Servings: 1 muffin
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
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
  • 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

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  • 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 (120 g) of the chocolate chips.
  • 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.)

Notes

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

Per serving (12 servings) Calories: 348kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 4gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 64mgSodium: 215mgFiber: 1gSugar: 29g

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.

4.72 from 142 votes

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245 Comments

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

  • 5 stars
    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
  • 5 stars
    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.

  • 5 stars
    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!

  • 5 stars
    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.

  • 5 stars
    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!

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

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

  • 5 stars
    Delicious! The kids loved them.