Chocolate Chip Muffins

Chocolate Chip Muffins are a treat for breakfast or as an afternoon snack whether you make them jumbo, regular, or mini. The tender, buttery muffin base is studded with real semisweet chocolate and sprinkled with coarse sugar for that sparkle and crunch, just like you would get at your favorite bakery.

One of my favorite parts of the day is the after-school download with my daughters at our kitchen table where we catch up and enjoy a snack. It’s our time to connect and relax between the fun and work of school and the many other activities in our busy schedule like homework, piano practice, and swimming, gymnastics or soccer, depending on the season.

It’s even sweeter with a yummy treat like soft and moist chocolate chip muffins with some cold milk. My girls especially like to help make them by measuring flour, cracking eggs, or stirring in the chocolate chips.

These bakery style chocolate chip muffins don’t have to be jumbo-sized. I just happen to have an extra large six-cup muffin pan that I sometimes like to use to make really big muffins because it’s fun. Plus, they make the most amazing, domed muffin tops, which is the best part of a muffin!

Muffins make a great freezer-friendly breakfast that can be warmed up to eat on the go. Some of our other favorite muffin recipes are Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins, Double Chocolate Muffins, and Streusel-Topped Raspberry Muffins.

Why this Recipe Works

• Simple pantry ingredients. I always have everything I need to make these chocolate chip muffins on hand without a trip to the store.
• Awesome flavor and texture. Follow the tips about mixing by hand for light, soft muffins with a crackly exterior.
• Choose your size. You can make them mini, regular, or jumbo to suit your craving for muffins! See notes below on times and temperature adjustments for how to make these in a regular or mini muffin pan.

Ingredient Notes

This is a quick overview of some of the important ingredients you’ll need for this chocolate chip muffin recipe. Specific measurements and full recipe instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

• Flour: Be sure to measure your flour correctly by spooning it into your measuring cups and leveling it off with a knife.
• Butter & oil: The butter adds flavor while the oil keeps the muffins extra moist. It’s the best of both worlds!
• Chocolate Chips: We like using semisweet chocolate chips, but dark chocolate or milk chocolate can also be used if you prefer.
• Buttermilk: This adds richness and a slight tang to the batter that balances well with the sweetness of the chocolate. If you don’t have any on hand, you can also just use regular milk in this recipe or just add 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to a 1 cup measuring cup and fill it the rest of the way with milk. Let this sit for 5 minutes before using in the recipe in place of the buttermilk.
• Coarse sparkling sugar: This is for finishing and adds a fantastic crunch, sparkle, and sweetness to the muffins. Sugar in the Raw, demerara sugar, or white sparkling sugar all work and can be find in the baking aisle by the sprinkles.

How to Make Chocolate Chip Muffins

Start by mixing the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Whisking them together helps evenly distribute the leavening agent and sugar so you don’t have to overwork the batter later when adding the wet ingredients. Add the chocolate chips and stir to coat them in the flour mixture. This helps suspend the chocolate chips in the batter so they don’t sink to the bottom while baking.

In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, eggs, melted butter, oil, and vanilla extract together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until everything is evenly moistened using a spatula or wooden spoon. The batter will be thick.

Spoon the batter into a prepared muffin pan that has been sprayed with baking spray. Fill the muffin cups to the top, then sprinkle with coarse sparkling sugar for a little sparkle and crunch.

You will get 6 jumbo muffins, about 14 regular-sized muffins, or 35-40 mini muffins from this recipe.

Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F, then decrease the oven temperature to 350°F without opening the oven door and bake another 25 minutes until done. Remove from the heat and let the muffins cool for 5-10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe FAQ’s

Recipe Tips

• Temperature: Be sure to note the change in temperature indicated in the recipe partway through the baking process. Baking the muffins in a hotter oven to begin with helps them rise higher before dropping the temperature to finish baking the muffin all the way through.
• Don’t overmix the batter: It also helps the muffins achieve the soft texture inside that makes them so special. Like all muffins, if you overwork the batter, you will end up with dense, dry muffins, which is not what you want. The key is to mix the wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately first, then add the wet ingredients all at once, stirring just until combined.
• Fill the muffin cups: Unlike cupcakes where you usually only fill the cup halfway to 2/3, with these muffins you want to fill them all the way to the very top. It’s another trick to getting those beautifully high-domed muffin tops.

More Muffin Recipes

• Easy Apple Oatmeal Muffins
• One-Bowl Easy Banana Nut Muffins
• Morning Glory Muffins
• Raspberry Streusel Muffins

This post was originally published in December, 2017. The photos and content were updated in February, 2022.