Chocolate Muffins
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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.
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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
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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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Comments
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Can I use normal milk instead of buttermilk?
No, you really need buttermilk for these. If you don’t have any on hand, you can easily make your own. See how here. Hope that helps!
These directions were simple to follow, and a warm chocolate muffin was on my plate in under an hour! Super impressed because they look exactly like the picture and like a muffin I’d see in a bakery. Thank you for supplying my baking therapy 🙂
These are absolutely delicious. Make them 3 times recently. Everyone loves them! Easy enough to make with your little ones.
I did this recipe twice in the last month and turned out amazing. Thank you 🙂
Easy and delicious chocolate muffins. My 3yo loves making these 😊
I have been making these for the family for a while now and I was wondering: can I give them 15 stars? Made them again this morning. I now consider baking to be therapy during these strange times we live in…. Stay safe.
🙂 So glad you like them — stay healthy and safe!
Can these be cooked at all one temperature? I cooked as directions indicated for time and they were super dry.
Hi Kelly, I’m sorry you found these to be dry! Just curious, did you make any adjustments to the recipe? Did you use the spoon and level method for measuring the flour as a little bit of extra flour can make a big difference. If you’d like, you can reduce the temperature and bake them for the whole time at 350°F. Hope that helps!
Amazing! I didn’t have liners so I generously sprayed the muffin tin and also floured it. Worked out perfectly
These came out TRULY AMAZING. Deeply chocolately, moist and delicious.
CHANGES I MADE:
– Instead of butter I used 3/8 cup Olive Oil. Works perfectly. (You can often substitute olive oil for butter in baking by using 2/3rds the amount of butter called for.)
– I added 1/2 tsp of cinnamon powder. I always like the combination of a very light cinnamon touch with chocolate.
PRECISE DIRECTIONS: Your directions are so precise. The oven temperature directions made all the difference – perfect rise, evenly baked, and the outside is ever-so lightly crispy, inside soft and moist. (Often muffins come out super dry or gummy and in order to get the inside baked the outside over bakes. This was not like that at all.)
I will be making these a LOT!
These are more true to a cupcake for me, versus a muffin. Almost like what a chocolate cupcake box mix turns out like, and the choc chips all sank into the batter while cooking. Not bad, but I’m still searching for a good chocolatey MUFFIN recipe …
Turned out great. I used 1:1 gluten free flour, and canola oil (instead of butter). Oh, also I had a bit of Penzeys high fat and some Ghirardelli cacao powder instead of Hershey’s. Thank you- what a treat!
Best muffins I ever made – thank you! I have tried making muffins over the years but they always turned out to be a disappointment; dense and flat. These are so moist and delicious! Is it possible to omit the chocolate and add blueberries or other ingredients?
Carol
Hi Carol, so glad you had success with these! I wouldn’t recommend omitting the chocolate as it would be an entirely different recipe. If you’re interested in blueberry muffins though, these get great reviews from readers. 🙂
These are in the oven on 425 right now…and I’m wondering if after the 8 minutes are up I need to wait until the oven gets to 350 to put the muffins back in for the remaining 12 minutes? The batter tastes sooo delicious! Can’t wait to devour these.
Hi Fran, I know I’m weighing in too late to be helpful, but you don’t need to remove the muffins from the oven while you wait for the temperature to come down. Hope the muffins turned out nicely!
Okay taste but SO dry (and yes, I measured my flour properly and didn’t overmix…I am an amateur pastry chef). I think it was the super high starting oven temp and the 20 minute bake time. Typically my muffins are done in 15 minutes at 350. My oven is well insulated and even after the 12 minutes, the oven temp didn’t come down to 350. Was at 360 when I pulled them out. Next time I’d lower the oven temperature and baking time. Not sure what the purpose of the initial bake af 425 for 8 minutes was. I also used a dark nonstick pan and should have known better than to follow the 425 initial degree bake instructions. They taste great dunked in milk or served with some ice cream, though. Impossible to eat straight.