Chocolate Muffins
Prep these amazing chocolate muffins in 10 minutes with everyday ingredients! Double chocolate chip muffins are moist, tender and packed with chocolate flavor and melty chocolate chips. Includes tips for making tall bakery style muffins!

I am pumped to be adding a chocolate muffin recipe to our muffin collection. I really do love muffins because I consider them an anytime food. Breakfast, snack, late night snack, they are perfect anytime.
After testing and retesting this recipe and 60 muffins later, I nailed the most perfect moist chocolate muffin with nice, domed tops.
Why These Are The Best Chocolate Muffins
- Packed with chocolate flavor
- Everyday ingredients prepped in 10 minutes
- Can use any type of chocolate chips (regular, mini, chunks, semi-sweet, milk, dark chocolate)
- Moist, soft muffins with tender crumb
- Tall and domed muffins tops (bakery style!)

Ingredients
- all purpose flour: flour is necessary to build structure
- cocoa powder: adds intense chocolate flavor
- granulated sugar: adds sweetness and flavor
- baking powder and baking soda: helps to leaven and lift the batter
- salt: just a pinch to balance the sweetness and enhances the other flavors
- eggs: binds the batter together by providing structure
- buttermilk: adds fat, moisture and flavor
- vegetable oil: adds fat and moisture
- vanilla extract: adds flavor
- chocolate chips: the star of double chocolate muffins! I used a combination of regular and chunk semi-sweet chocolate chips.
How to Make Double Chocolate Chip Muffins
- In a mixing bowl combine all the dry ingredients.
- In a larger mixing bowl combine all the wet ingredients.
- Gradually mix in the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. Using a spatula, fold in half the chocolate chips.
- Cover the bowl with a towel and allow the batter to rest for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
- Fill the liners to the top with batter. Yes – to the top!
- Press the remaining chocolate chips on top of the muffins and sprinkle with sanding sugar.
- Bake for 7 minutes at 425ºF, then keeping the muffins in the oven, turn the temperature down to 350ºF and bake for 12-14 minutes.

How to Create Bakery Style Muffin Tops
Bakery style muffins are known for their domed tops. Plus who doesn’t love them? I used a few techniques to help “lift” these muffins so they would have domed tops.
1. THE REST PERIOD
Let the batter rest for 15 minutes after it’s mixed and before you scoop it into the muffin pan. During the resting period, starch molecules in the flour are absorbing the liquid in the batter, causing them to swell and giving the batter a thicker consistency (ref the kitchen whisper). Our 15 minute rest is just a quick rest.
2. BAKE AT HIGH TEMPERATURE INITIALLY
Bake the muffins at a high temperature (425ºF) for 7 minutes then lower to 350ºF. Starting the muffins off at a higher temperature causes the batter to rise rapidly, producing a domed shaped.
3. FILL THEM TO THE TOP
Fill your muffin liners to the top with batter. Yes, this goes against everything you’ve heard but it’s important in helping the muffin gain that height.

How to Make Gluten Free Chocolate Muffins
I’ve made these muffins with both regular and gluten free flour with awesome results on multiple occasions. I recommend King Arthur’s Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour. Use it as a one for one substitute for regular flour.
How to Freeze Muffins
Allow the muffins to cool completely first. I like to wrap two muffins together (the bottoms of the muffins touching) in plastic wrap, then place all the wrapped bundles in a ziplock bag.
To thaw, either let them come to room temperature on the counter or place as many as you need in the microwave for 15 second intervals.

Total Time Required
- 10 minutes to prep the batter
- 15 minute rest (this helps produce domed tops!)
- Bake for 7 minutes at 425ºF
- Bake for 12-14 minutes at 350ºF
- 20-30 minutes to cool
Tips for Making Chocolate Muffins
- Measure the flour using the spoon and level method.
- For best results, make these double chocolate muffins with buttermilk. This recipe has not been tested with whole milk, skim milk or a milk alternative.
- Allow the batter to rest for 15 minutes.
- Top the muffins with lots of chocolate chips and sanding sugar for a true bakery style muffin.
- Bake at a higher temperature initially to cause the muffins to rise quickly.

More Chocolate Desserts

Chocolate Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ⅔ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided (I used regular and chunks)
Equipment
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir with a spoon to combine and set aside.
- In a larger mixing bowl combine the eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Stir to combine with a spatula or beat with electric mixer on low for 30 seconds.
- Gradually mix in the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. Using a spatula, fold in 3/4 cups of the chocolate chips. The remaining chocolate chips will be added to the tops of the muffins. The batter will be very thick!
- Cover the bowl with a towel and allow the batter to rest for 15 minutes. During this time, preheat the oven to 425ºF.
- Line a muffin pan with 12 muffin liners. Fill the liners to the top with batter. Yes – to the top! You might think there is no way to fit all the batter in 12 liners, but keep dividing the batter among the cups and fill the liners FULL! Use a butter knife to smooth the tops of the muffins if lumpy.
- Press the additional 3/4 cup of chocolate chips on top of the muffins and sprinkle with sanding sugar.
- Bake for 7 minutes at 425ºF, then keeping the muffins in the oven, turn the temperature down to 350ºF and bake for 12-14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan.
Notes
- Measure the flour using the spoon and level method.
- Feel free to use semi-sweet, milk or dark chocolate chips.
- I’ve made these muffins with both regular and gluten free flour with awesome results on multiple occasions. I recommend King Arthur’s Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour. Use it as a one for one substitute for regular flour.
Sound delicious will certainly try them have everything except the buttermilk .Will comment after I have one over the weekend .
Do you have a favorite brand of u sweetened cocoa powder?
I use Hershey’s typically!
I had everything except buttermilk, so I used 1 cup of 1% buttermilk with 1 tbsp lemon juice and left it for 5 minutes to thicken. I also added an extra 1 tbsp of unsalted butter to make up for the lower milkfat content. They turned out perfect! It would be nice if sanding sugar were in the list of ingredients as optional, it’s not there at all.
Wow!! These came out perfect. I made these after everyone else was in bed so they would be available in the morning. I hope they can stay asleep with all the chocolate 🍫 smell wafting through the house. If not, oh well, they can have a middle-of-the-night snack! I will remember the techniques you taught me with this recipe to apply them going forward to other muffin recipes. Thanks Beth!! 🧁💕
Delicious..the best chocolate muffin I have ever made. Thank you.
Chocolate overload! Looks like a bakery muffin. More dessert like.
Just wondering about the high baking time portion….you stated to bake at 425 for 9 mins….then later in recipe it states to bake at 425 for 7 mins. Or maybe it doesn’t really matter??
Bake at 425 F for 7 minutes, then lower to 350!
Good Evening,
Have you ever doubled the receipt? If so, did you double all ingredients? I know sometimes not all ingredients are doubled.
Thank you
Lori
Be sure to double all of the ingredients if making a double batch!