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These bakery style Chocolate Muffins are deeply fudgy, ultra moist, and loaded with melty chocolate chips in every bite. I started baking them on slow weekend mornings, and now my kids think we run our own little muffin shop. If you love a quick from scratch bake, you will also want our easy chocolate chip muffins.
A hot oven start gives them those tall, domed bakery tops, while sour cream keeps the crumb soft for days.
Chocolate Muffins Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 15 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 25 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 15 muffins
- ⚡ Calories: 360kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Rich, fudgy double chocolate with melty chocolate chips
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our banana nut muffins
Quick Answer
Whisk the dry ingredients with cocoa powder, then whisk the eggs, oil, sour cream, milk, and vanilla separately. Combine them into a thick batter, fold in chocolate chips, and fill the liners. Bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes, lower to 350, and bake until set. The high heat start gives these chocolate muffins tall, bakery style domed tops.
Jump to:
- Chocolate Muffins Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Chocolate Muffins
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Chocolate Muffins FAQs
- Other Recommended Easy Muffin Recipes
- Best Double Chocolate Muffins Recipe
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- A hot oven start makes tall tops. Starting at 425 degrees then dropping to 350 gives the muffins a burst of lift for those high, domed bakery style tops.
- Cocoa plus chocolate chips means double chocolate. Unsweetened cocoa builds deep chocolate flavor into the crumb, while semi sweet chips add melty pockets throughout.
- Sour cream keeps them moist. Sour cream adds richness and moisture, so the muffins stay soft and tender for days.
- Oil makes a tender crumb. Using oil instead of butter keeps the muffins moist even straight from the fridge.
- Not overmixing keeps them fluffy. Stirring just until combined keeps the muffins light and tender instead of dense and tough.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They taste like they came from a bakery but come together in one bowl in about 25 minutes.
- They are deeply chocolatey and stay moist for days, just like our banana nut muffins.
- They are perfect for make ahead breakfasts, lunchboxes, and snacking, and they freeze beautifully.
Key Ingredients
Simple pantry staples come together into rich, fudgy muffins. Here is what each one does.
- Cocoa powder: Unsweetened cocoa is the base of that deep chocolate flavor. Use a good quality brand for the richest taste.
- Chocolate chips: Semi sweet chips melt into gooey pockets and pile on top for a bakery finish. Use dark or milk chips if you prefer.
- Sour cream: The secret to an incredibly moist, tender crumb that stays soft for days.
- Brown sugar: Adds moisture and a subtle caramel note that deepens the chocolate flavor.
- Oil and eggs: Oil keeps the muffins moist while eggs give structure, the same combo we love in our blueberry cream cheese muffins.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
These chocolate muffins are a great base for add ins. Try one of these.
- Triple chocolate: Stir in white chocolate chips along with the semi sweet for an extra decadent muffin.
- Add nuts: Fold in chopped walnuts or pecans for crunch.
- Espresso boost: Add a teaspoon of espresso powder to the dry ingredients to deepen the chocolate flavor.
- Peanut butter swirl: Swirl a spoonful of peanut butter into each muffin before baking.
- Berry swap: Prefer fruit? Try our white chocolate raspberry muffins instead.
How to Make Chocolate Muffins
- Whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, sour cream, milk, and vanilla until smooth.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir just until there are no dry spots. The batter will be thick and slightly lumpy, so do not overmix.
- Fold in most of the chocolate chips, reserving about half a cup for topping.
- Scoop about a quarter cup of batter into each liner and sprinkle the reserved chocolate chips on top.
- Bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes, lower to 350 degrees, and bake 8 to 10 minutes more, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in the pan, then finish cooling on a rack.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Do not overmix the batter. Stir just until the dry streaks disappear to keep the muffins tender and fluffy.
- Use the hot start. The 425 degree blast is what creates those tall, domed bakery tops, so do not skip it.
- Fill the liners generously. A heaping quarter cup of batter per liner gives you big, bakery style muffins.
- Top with extra chips. Pressing reserved chocolate chips on top before baking makes them look irresistible.
- Check early. Ovens vary, so start checking at the lower end of the bake time so they stay moist.
- Cool in the pan briefly. Let them set for 10 minutes before moving so they do not fall apart.
- Room temperature ingredients blend best. Let the eggs, sour cream, and milk come to room temperature for the smoothest batter.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These chocolate muffins are a treat any time of day. Serve them warm with a cold glass of milk or a hot cup of coffee for an easy breakfast or afternoon snack. A muffin split and spread with a little butter or peanut butter is pure comfort.
Build a cozy brunch spread with a mix of sweet bakes. We love serving these alongside our lemon blueberry coffee cake, a tray of mini cinnamon rolls, and a bowl of chocolate mousse for the chocolate lovers.
These muffins store and freeze beautifully. Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 2 months and warm in the microwave for a few seconds. For another easy muffin, try our blueberry cream cheese muffins next.
Chocolate Muffins FAQs
Dry muffins usually come from too much flour or overbaking. Spoon and level your flour, do not overmix, and start checking at the lower end of the bake time. The sour cream and oil in this recipe help keep them moist.
The trick is the high heat start. Baking at 425 degrees for the first 5 minutes gives the batter a burst of lift, then lowering to 350 lets them finish baking through without burning. Filling the liners generously also helps.
Yes, they freeze wonderfully. Cool completely, then freeze in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature or warm in the microwave for a few seconds.
Sour cream keeps them moist, but you can substitute an equal amount of plain Greek yogurt or full fat buttermilk. The texture will be slightly different but still tender and delicious.
Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, these muffins stay fresh for up to 4 days. Add a slice of bread to the container to help keep them soft.
Absolutely. Swap the semi sweet chips for dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or even white chocolate chips. You can also use chopped chocolate bars for bigger melty pockets.
Craving more from scratch bakes? Our chocolate chip muffins are another bakery style favorite.
When you want the full-size version, bake our rich chocolate cake instead.
Craving more bakery-style muffins? These bright lemon blueberry muffins are moist and bursting with berries.
Love chocolate-packed bakes? Our chocolate chip banana bread is a must-make.
For a fruity make-ahead breakfast, try our strawberry overnight oats.
For another chocolatey bake, try our chocolate chip zucchini bread.
Best Double Chocolate Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a muffin tin with liners and set aside.
- Add the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl, whisk until combined, then set aside.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup light brown sugar, 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon salt
- Whisk the eggs, oil, sour cream, milk, and vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth.2 large eggs, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 3/4 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup whole milk, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry and mix until there are no dry spots. The mixture will be slightly lumpy, so do not overmix.
- Reserve about ½ cup of the chocolate chips on the side. Pour in the remaining chocolate chips and stir to combine.12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Add ¼ cup batter to each liner.
- Sprinkle additional chocolate chips on top.
- Bake for 5 minutes at 425° F, then lower the temperature to 350°F, and bake for an additional 8-10 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completel
Notes
- Use ingredients at room temperature for a smoother batter.
- Don’t overmix. Stir until the dry spots disappear, then stop for moist muffins.
- Reserve a few extra chocolate chips to press into the top of the batter before baking.
- Line your muffin tin with paper liners to prevent sticking and for easy cleanup.
- Let muffins cool in the pan 10 minutes, then move to a wire rack so they don’t get soggy bottoms.
- For jumbo muffins, bake batter in a jumbo muffin pan for about 5 minutes longer.
Nutrition
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These were so much fun to make and tasted delicious.