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This easy chocolate chip muffin recipe is made with buttermilk to make them moist and come together in minutes with easy pantry staples. I’ll give you all the tips and tricks for bakery style chocolate chip muffins!
The Best Chocolate Chip Muffin Recipe
It’s 7 a.m. and all you want is chocolate. Not eggs or bacon. Or a stack of pancakes drizzled with maple syrup. Today calls for chocolate. You know as soon as you get into work your boss is going to throw another task on to your never ending to do list. Traffic getting there probably sucked. And lunch? Forget about having time for that. Yup your day needs chocolate. Like. Now.
And just as you are about to meet that craving, that little wiggly feeling in the back of your mind settles in- guilt. You can’t have chocolate for breakfast it cries! Chocolate is meant for dessert after a long arduous day. Not breakfast.
Tell that little voice to shut it. And dig in to the best chocolate chip muffins. Mm, craving satisfied. What’s the saying? A well balanced morning is a muffin in each hand. Or something like that.
I updated this chocolate chip muffin recipe from years ago and have greatly improved upon the recipe (if I do say so myself!). These are definitely now bakery style muffins with lots of chocolate chips going on inside. The muffins bake up tall and are tender, light and fluffy.
I use half butter and half oil, plus buttermilk to make for a delicious chocolate chip muffin. I also like to use mini chocolate chips so you get chocolate in every bite.
See Also:
- This zucchini bread muffin recipe is super simple to throw together and a wonderful way to use up all that wonderful zucchini produce in the summer!Â
- These sweet potato muffins get even better with a sugary, buttery crumb topping and a maple icing drizzled over them. Move over pumpkin, it’s sweet potato’s time to shine!
- Moist and delicious peach muffins with a brown sugar pecan streusel. These muffins are easy to whip up in 30 minutes or less! You can bake them now or freeze for later.
The Secret Trick for Tall Muffin Tops
Can you a keep a secret? Let me tell you how to get the best chocolate chip muffins that rival any bakery near you. Bake the muffins at a high temperature for a few minutes to start, then reduce the temperature and continue to bake.
That high burst of heat to start will help the muffins rise up tall and create those beautiful muffin tops we all want in a muffin!
Ok now that’s our little secret, so shhhh! Just kidding. Tell your family. Tell your best friend, your neighbor, tell everyone you know!
Why You Will Love These Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Mixes up in minutes – The chocolate chip muffin batter will be mixed up in about 10 minutes or so, and ready to be baked in no time!
- No mixer needed – I love making chocolate chip muffins for this reason! All you’ll need is a whisk and a spatula.
- Great to freeze – Chocolate chip muffins freeze well for up to 3 months, making for a quick grab and go breakfast.
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Easy Chocolate Chip Muffin Ingredients
- Flour – We are using all purpose flour here, which has the best protein structure to make a light and fluffy muffin. Be sure to measure your flour correctly by spooning the flour into your dry measuring cup and levelling it off. Do not pack it down or you will get too much flour in the cup and result in dry, heavy muffins. For best results, use a kitchen scale.
- Cornstarch – This ingredient helps to make a soft, tender muffin.
- Baking Powder – Helps make your chocolate chip muffins rise. Do not use baking soda as it is not the same ingredient. Learn more here about baking powder vs. baking soda.
- Granulated Sugar – Makes for a tender, sweet muffin. Reducing the sugar can result in a muffin that’s not as light and fluffy. Read more here about reducing sugar in your quick breads. You can also try replacing some of the granulated sugar with brown sugar.
- Salt – Helps balance the sweetness of the muffins. I prefer fine sea salt because it dissolves easily into the chocolate chip muffin batter and has a pure salt taste.
- Unsalted Butter – I use some melted butter in this muffin recipe to bring great flavor. I use unsalted butter but if you’re using salted butter, then reduce the added salt.
- Oil (a neutral tasting oil like vegetable or canola) – I like to use oil in addition to butter because this helps make for a moist chocolate chip muffin.
- Eggs – Use room temperature eggs, otherwise cold eggs can seize up the butter and your muffins might not rise as tall.
- Buttermilk – Makes for a tender chocolate chip muffin with great flavor! If you don’t have any, then you can try and make a homemade buttermilk using regular whole milk and lemon juice. You could try swapping for sour cream or greek yogurt.
- Vanilla – To give the muffin batter flavor. I like pure vanilla extract, but imitation vanilla extract can also work.
- Miniature Chocolate Chips – I prefer miniature so you get more chocolate in each bite, but you can use regular sized chocolate chips. I like semi sweet chocolate chips but milk chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips also work. You could even try white chocolate chips or dark chocolate chunks!
How To Make These Easy Chocolate Chip Muffins
Prep oven and pan. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425F. Grease a muffin tin with either butter or non-stick cooking spray or line with muffin liners.
Combine dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, baking powder, and salt together.
Combine the wet ingredients. Whisk the melted butter, oil, milk, vanilla and eggs together in a medium bowl.
Combine wet and dry ingredients. Add the flour mixture to the vegetable oil mixture and stir together with a spatula or spoon until just combined. Do not over mix, the batter may be slightly lumpy.
Fold in the semi sweet chocolate chips.
Scoop and bake. Using a 2 1/2-inch diameter ice-cream scoop, portion the batter, rounded side up, into the prepared muffins cups. Fill all the way to the top. I like to sprinkle on a few extra chips on top before baking. And sprinkle on a little sparkling sugar.
Bake. Bake for 5 minutes at 425F then reduce the oven temperature to 350F and continue baking for 15 minutes until the tops of the muffins are golden brown and toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove the muffins from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
A Few Tips for Easy Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Measure your flour the right way. Too much flour and you will end up with dry, overly heavy muffins. Spoon and level your flour for best results. Give this article a read on how to measure your flour.
- Do not overmix. Once you add the flour mixture, do not mix too much. Stop mixing once the last of the dry ingredients have been stirred in. The mixture may still be lumpy and that’s OK. The more you mix and the tougher your muffins will be.
- Use muffin cups. For easy release, and to keep your muffin tin in top shape use paper liners.
- Spoon batter up to the top. These aren’t cupcakes! So don’t skimp on the batter. Fill up to the top of the muffin cups with batter for tall muffins.
- Bake at a high heat for the first five minutes. This will make for tall muffin tops!
- Sprinkle on coarse sugar and a few extra chocolate chips before baking. This will make for pretty muffins that will look like they came from a bakery!
- Cool on a wire rack. This will help ensure you don’t end up with soggy bottoms.
For more muffin making tips check out this post! And be sure to give my Ultimate Guide To Baking Quick Bread Recipes
Substitutions and Variations
- Mini muffins – Instead of regular sized muffins, bake the batter in a mini muffin tray. Bake at 350F for about 15 minutes.
- Gluten free flour – Swap out the regular flour with a 1:1 gluten free flour.
Chocolate Chip Muffin Recipe: Frequently Asked Questions
You can freeze any leftover muffins in a freezer bag, once cooled, for up to 3 months. Thaw uncovered before serving.
This is a common problem in baking. And this is usually due to the fact that you took them out too early so the insides were set up yet causing them to collapse upon cooling. I recommend using a toothpick to test the doneness. And invest in an oven thermometer so you can accurately gauge if your oven temperature is accurate.Â
You can keep these stored, covered, at room temperature for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
Nothing good about a soggy muffin bottom. Make sure to store them ONLY once they are completely cooled. Any residual heat will create moisture which contributes to soggy bottoms. When storing place a piece of bread, tortilla, or crackers into the container which will help to absorb excess moisture. When cooling, place them upside down on a teatowel so the liners and bottoms have a chance to cool without getting soggy.
More Muffin Recipes
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Chocolate Chip Muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups (270 g) all-purpose flour *spooned and leveled
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup (5 1/3 Tablespoons, 75 g) unsalted butter melted
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) vegetable oil (or other neutral tasting oil like canola)
- 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon (135 ml) buttermilk
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup (170 g) mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Prep oven and pan. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425°F (218°C). Grease a muffin tin with either butter or non-stick cooking spray or line with muffin liners.
- Combine dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, sugar, baking powder, and salt together.
- Combine the wet ingredients. Whisk the melted butter, oil, buttermilk, vanilla and eggs together in a medium bowl.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients. Add the flour mixture to the oil mixture and stir together with a spatula or spoon until just combined. Do not over mix, the batter may be slightly lumpy. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Scoop and bake. Using a 2 1/2-inch diameter ice-cream scoop, portion the batter, rounded side up, into the prepared muffins cups. Bake for 5 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C) and continue baking for 15 minutes more until the tops of the muffins are golden brown and toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove the muffins from the pan and cool completely.
Notes
- Storage: Store muffins covered at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: Freeze any leftover muffins, in a sealable plastic bag, for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.Â
- Mini muffins – Instead of regular sized muffins, bake the batter in a mini muffin tray. Bake at 350F for about 15 minutes.
- Gluten free flour – Swap out the regular flour with a 1:1 gluten free flour.
- Unsalted Butter – I use unsalted butter but if you’re using salted butter, then reduce the added salt.
- Chocolate chips: I used mini chocolate chips but regular chocolate chips can also work.
Ella Di Vito says
Looks like a muffin but tasted more like cake. The taste was fine but just not at all what I was expecting.
Heather says
Thanks Ella for the feedback. We really enjoyed these in our house, and didn’t think they were too cakey. Perhaps you added too much flour or mixed for too long to give it an overly cakey texture!