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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Hi Jenn,
You’re the expert, so I take your word for it, but I’m just curious what the reason is for not using Dutch processed cocoa. I’m really looking forward to making these chocolate muffins for my family during the Christmas vacation.
Thanks,
Gail
Good question – The acidity in natural cocoa powder activates the baking soda in the recipe and causes the batter to rise in the oven. Dutch-process cocoa powder has been treated with an alkali to neutralize its acidity and is therefore not acidic enough to activate the baking soda. Hope that clarifies!
Hi Jenn,
Thanks for the awesome recipe. I made it once & it tasted awesome. Can I replace the butter with applesauce?
What is the purpose of baking powder in the recipe?
Glad you liked them! If you want to substitute applesauce for the butter, I’d recommend replacing half the amount of butter with applesauce. Any more than that and I’d be concerned the muffins would be too moist and dense. And the baking powder helps to make the muffins rise. 🙂
Can this recipe be baked in loaf pan? I know, that the baking time may be different.
Sure, Tuty – that should work. Enjoy!
Yes. It works and is delicious. Moist and tender. Thank you.
Wonderful! I did not have buttermilk so used the 1 Tablespoon of vinegar then enough milk to make a cup rule, and they came out wonderful. I made them again and only had Greek nonfat yogurt so I substituted that instead of the buttermilk and they also came out wonderful. This recipe is a favorite at our house. We pair it with turkey sausage/bacon and some fresh fruit.
Hi Jenn,
My child needs to take chocolate muffins for a picnic,,and i knew where to search them”ONCE UPON A CHEF”…i know these will come out delicious..just needed a little help.
1.can i use two medium eggs instead of large ones?
2.can i use plain granulated sugar instead of brown..or half of dark brown and half of white granulated?
3.can i use oil instead of butter?
4. will they stay well if i bake them a day or two in advance?
Please help as i need to bake them before
Tuesday.
Thanks a ton.
DV
Hi DV, You can use medium eggs. For the sugar, I’d use half dark brown/half granulated. And it’s fine to use oil instead of butter. I’d baked them no more than one day in advance for best results. Hope that helps!
Hi Jenn,
Thank you very much for your quick reply.
The muffins were tasty and i did use oil,,my son was super happy.
I did find them a little dry though,cannot understand why?
i have used light brown sugar.can you help?
All the same thanks for another lovely recipe. Waiting to hear from you.
Regards,
DV.
Hi DV, Did you measure the flour using the spoon and level method? Even just a little too much flour can cause muffins to be dry. You might also try reducing the baking time by a few minutes.
These muffins are fantastic as written (and a good chocolate muffin recipe is hard to find)! We have made them several times for a family member with celiac disease using Cup 4 Cup gluten free flour. They are still delicious but maybe not quite as good as the original. We take 2-3 minutes off the total cooking time for the gluten free version.
I was always intrigued by chocolate muffins but never made them before. What have I been waiting for? They are absolutely delicious. Tender crumb and wonderful chocolate flavour. Who wouldn’t want chocolate for breakfast? A definite winner that I will make again and again and again ………………….
This recipe makes a tasty batch of muffins indeed! I have made this recipe several times now and have learned that not over-mixing the batter results in a lovely soft textured muffin. Definitely a favorite.
Thank you for the recipe, I’m going to try it tonight. If I bake it in a pound cake pan, what temperature and for how long should I bake it for? Thanks.
Hi Mic, what are the dimensions of your pan? I know pound cake is often made in both loaf and tube pans.
What is the nutrition info?
Hi Louise, I just added them. You can find them immediately under the recipe.
These muffins are really quite delicious. I used pastry flour (210 grams instead of the 220g called for in the recipe, as pastry flour tends to absorb more liquid), and got a super-tender result. As these muffins cook up fairly large, busting out of the pan, I might make 6 next time instead of the whole dozen. They are so rich, and being on the large side, I think a half-portion is enough for the four of us.
Thanks!