Chocolate Muffins
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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.
You May Also Like
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
Powered by 
- 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.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
I printed this recipe and filed it in my “try sometime” pile. Then my old college roommate called to say she was coming for a 1st visit (after 27 years!) with her kids and requested I bake something chocolate for her after the long trip. I decided to try out these muffins. My, oh, my!! These are a keeper!! Everybody raved over them. Because both of our kids have dairy allergies, I “veganized” it and tried to make them as healthy as possible without losing their original intent. I used all white whole wheat flour, 2 T. extra light olive oil and 6 T. applesauce instead of the butter, 1 T. Ener-G egg replacer powder with 1/4 c. almond milk for the eggs, and 1 T. lemon juice with almond milk for the buttermilk. They were incredible!! A double batch is gone 1 1/2 days later…and the crumbs were carefully scavenged, too. 😀 Thank you for such tasty recipes. Next…I’m going to veganize and whole-wheat the waffles…
Thanks Pixie for your comment as I am a veggie and was wondering if I could use the almond milk and the olive oil. I’m going to try them as you did.
They are so light and fluffy…I’m in chocolate heaven. Thank you for the recipe! I made them today and doubled the batch for our family of ten. I believe they will be gone soon. Delicious!!
Really good and easy to make. This will become a staple in my house! My husband is always a little dubious about trying anything new. Now I just tell him it’s from “Once Upon a Chef” and he’s happy to try it – and he has not been disapointed yet. THANKS 🙂
What an inspiring recipe! My slightly health-ified version turned out delicious today! I have been obsessed with making them since you posted the recipe and I finally got a chance today during The Big Snow.
Alterations: (doubled the recipe) 1 cup regular unbleached flour, 1.5 cups white whole wheat, 1 cup spelt flours, one extra egg; and then I mixed about 1/4 cups rolled oats, 2-3 tablespoons mini chips and 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar up in a small bowl, and topped each of them with a scant teaspoonful. I got 30 muffins out of the double recipe.
Next up, the chili for Superbowl Sunday!
Thank you for the great recipes (pictures are fabulous)!!!
I agree…who cares? LOL!!! Love, love, LOVE chocolate muffins for breakfast!
Kellie – So glad you enjoyed! I always do that with muffins so the muffin tops don’t stick to the pan when they rise and spread. You could just grease the top of the muffin pan, but I’m lazy…it’s easier to just spray the whole thing 🙂
I made these today; They were very good! These muffins fulfilled this chocoholic’s every need!!
Just one question…why do you spray the pans before lining with paper liners?
Thanks!
Kellie C.
ooo, these do look inviting.Just put some rolled oats on the top and call em breakfast! AWESOME PICS!
I definitely don’t care. I could eat chocolate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I’m sure you could “health” these up by making them with white whole wheat flour. Chocolate masks any whole wheat flavor very well.
I eat chocolate EVERYDAY…seriously!
These look amazing..with a big ass glass of cold milk!
Hi Jenn,
This recipe is absolutely divine! Thank you for it. I used a gas oven and followed your directions, the muffins were a tad bit drier but very close to perfect. Do I need to reduce the time or temperature in a gas oven? I followed the level And spoon method for the flour. Also if I substitute butter with oil would I use 1/2 a cup of oil. Thank you !!
Hi Divya, I’m not sure if the fact that they were drier was due to the gas oven, but when you make them again, I’d reduce the baking time by a minute or two. Glad you enjoyed them!