Ahhhh the goodness of muffins freshly baked at your neighborhood bakery and served warm with a steaming mug of coffee on a lazy weekend morning… This makes for an ideal way to start your day.
So comforting and filling and just plan delicious! Now you can bake up some Bakery-Style Double Chocolate Chip Muffins at home with this easy, no-fuss recipe. And indulge at home any day of the week!
*recipe updated May 2020
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What’s the difference between a muffin and a cupcake?
You definitely get bonus points if you know the answer to this question! It’s been searched for in Google a few times in my household, that’s for sure.
My older daughter came up with this question awhile back when she asked to eat a chocolate cupcake for breakfast. No way! was my reply. Until we researched it. And we discovered that there really isn’t much of a difference when you get down to it.
In fact, there are many articles written on the subject. The results come up mighty quickly when you type this question into the search bar, too.
This says to me (a) that people mistake them for each other all the time because they’re so closely related and (b) there really must not be much of a difference. So, despite my own mom’s voice in my head saying “chocolate isn’t for breakfast!” (see one of my earlier posts about this childhood mantra), I caved and my daughter occasionally eats chocolate cupcakes (minus any frosting) for breakfast.
When I saw this was becoming a bad habit (I know some of you are judging me mightily for this one!), I came up with a solid double chocolate chip muffin alternative to bake for her at home.
Muffins may very well be Cupcakes in Disguise
For those who are interested, the difference between a muffin and a cupcake is claimed by some websites to be (1) the frosting (duh), (2) muffins are sometimes made with whole wheat flour and filled with fruit instead of chocolate chips and (3) cupcakes tend to have more sugar and butter than muffins.
However, you’ll notice the words “sometimes” and “tend to” here. What this says to me is that not all muffin recipes are created equal. In fact, some/most do have a lot of sugar (and sometimes butter, too, i.e. this recipe right here) and some do have chocolate chips instead of fruit.
So…. this double chocolate chip muffin recipe below may very well be a chocolate cupcake recipe in disguise. I’ll go on believing it’s a muffin recipe for the sake of feeling better about myself for allowing my daughter to eat them for breakfast on the daily.
Capturing the Bakery Style at Home
For some reason it always used to seem to me that muffins baked at the bakery were consistently bigger (like way bigger) and moister and just plain better than those I made at home. Anyone else have this experience?
Maybe it’s the atmosphere at the bakery and the heady aroma of fresh-baked goods all around that gave me that feeling. Well, I’ve figured out the way to bring this to my own home without having to get out of my pjs to do so.
And now you can enjoy these bakery-style double chocolate chip muffins at home, too. And, perhaps you won’t feel as guilty about giving these cleverly disguised cupcakes to your family for breakfast since they’re homemade!
The key to achieving bakery style muffins lies in the ingredients used in this recipe and the way they’re baked. To keep these double chocolate chip muffins moist, I used a combination of vegetable oil, milk, and sour cream for some added richness. I also used brown sugar which has more moisture than granulated sugar and helps to retain some of that moisture when baked.
The way these double chocolate chip muffins are baked is also key to creating a bakery-style muffin. Starting with a higher than normal baking temperature, baking for a few minutes, than lowering the temperature for the remainder of the baking time helps to create the domed top that captures the bakery style so well.
And, who doesn’t love a good muffin top? (I’m not talking about the body part that’s so affectionately referred to as a muffin top on some of us, but rather a literal muffin top).
Tips for Making This Recipe
- Choose the highest quality cocoa powder and chocolate chips you can afford. It makes a big difference in the finished product’s taste and texture. I really like Guittard’s Cocoa Rogue Cocoa Powder. It is of a high quality, affordable and has this beautiful deep reddish color that really enhances the look and taste of the baked muffins
- Starting with a hotter than normal baking temperature helps achieve the nice, rounded, dome look on your muffins. The recipe calls for baking the muffins for 5 minutes at 425ºF (220ºC) then lowering the temperature to 350ºF (180ºC) for the remainder of the baking time
- These muffins are best consumed when warm. The chocolate gets all melty and you’ll really capture that just-baked bakery feel in your own kitchen! If consuming these muffins at any other time, simply warm them gently in the microwave or oven
- To get jumbo muffins like those pictured here, use a jumbo muffin tin like this one. You’ll get about 12 muffins out of the batter if using the jumbo tin. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of one muffin to ensure these larger muffins are baked all the way through. They may take longer than noted in the recipe to bake through. Note, nutritional information provided below is for 18 standard sized muffins
Like this recipe? Follow me on Pinterest for lots more recipes just like this one! And don’t forget to pin this recipe for later by clicking on one of the images below the recipe. Or, click on any of the images in this post to save to Pinterest.
Looking for more bakery-style muffin recipes? Give these a try:
Useful Kitchen Tools for Making Double Chocolate Chip Muffins
Bakery-Style Double Chocolate Chip Muffins
Now you can bake up Bakery-Style Double Chocolate Chip Muffins at home with this easy, no-fuss recipe. And indulge any day of the week!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 18 standard muffins / 12 jumbo muffins 1x
- Category: Muffins
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
2 ¼ cups (270 grams) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon (14 grams) baking powder
1 teaspoon (6 grams) kosher salt
½ cup (40 grams) cocoa powder
- ½ cup (118 ml) hot freshly brewed coffee
- ½ cup (118 ml) vegetable oil
1 cup (190 grams) packed brown sugar
1 cup (237 ml) whole milk
½ cup (113 grams) sour cream or full-fat plain Greek yogurt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon (15 ml) vanilla
1 ½ cups (262 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chunks or chips, divided
Instructions
Prepare: Preheat oven to 425ºF (220ºC). Line a muffin tin with paper liners or spray with nonstick spray and set aside
Mix Muffin Batter: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, add the cocoa powder and hot coffee and whisk to form a paste. To the bowl of a stand mixer, add the vegetable oil and brown sugar and beat on medium speed until blended, about 1 to 2 minutes (the mixture will resemble wet sand). Add the cocoa paste and mix to combine. With the mixer on low, add the milk, sour cream, beaten eggs and vanilla. Mix on medium just until combined. With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Do not overmix. Stir in 1 cup of the chocolate chunks or chips. Fill each cup of the muffin tin to the top. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining ½ cup of chocolate chunks or chips
Bake: Bake for 5 minutes at 425ºF (220ºC) then lower the oven temperature to 350ºF (180ºC) and bake for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the center muffin comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool in the muffin tins for 5-10 minutes then transfer to wire racks to cool completely
Notes
- Store cooled muffins in an airtight container or storage bag at room temperature up to 4 days
- To freeze, wrap each muffin individually in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-safe ziptop bag for up to 3 months. To thaw, leave at room temperature for 30 minutes or microwave for 1 minute on 50% power
- Muffins are best served warm. Serve freshly baked muffins or warm in the microwave for 30 seconds on 50% power just prior to serving
- To make jumbo muffins like those pictured in this post, use a jumbo muffin tin and be sure to check for doneness using the toothpick test, as these may take a bit longer to bake through
- Nutritional info is for 18 standard-sized muffins
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Thank you so much for visiting me at kickassbaker! I'm Kim. I'm a working mom and home baker who's constantly in search of a life in balance. Come join me in baking up some sweet treats mixed in with the occasional healthy and savory recipe. Thanks for joining me on my journey called everyday life!
These muffins looking amazingly good. I’ll have to definitely try them.
They are so good, if I do say so myself! 😊 Enjoy!
Hi Kim
Just found your recipe on pintrest .. my son has a life-threatening allergy so I subbed out the two eggs for 1/4 c pumpkin puree and 3TBSP of brewed coffee.
And added a half cup of white chocolate chips other than that I kept the recipe true to itself .
Can I just tell you absolutely the best chocolate muffin I have ever had, moist rich and Oh so chocolatey !
Thank you for sharing your recipe with us this is a definite keeper !
★★★★
I’m so so happy to hear this! Love those substitutions you made, I bet they tasted fantastic! thank you for leaving a comment, I appreciate hearing about this!
Do you think this recipe can be used with jumbo muffin tins?
★★★★★
Absolutely! I would just up the baking time accordingly.
Hi. I made these today and need some problem solving. Are they supposed to rise? My muffins stayed low in the pan and barely spread to fill the cups. They were delicious: dark and just sweet enough. But the texture was dense, not fluffy or light.
I bake often, so I know my leavening is fresh. My oven has thermometers to confirm the temperature.
Any thoughts? I would make them but want to know whether the dense texture is correct or if I need to change some aspect of the recipe. Maybe separate the eggs, whip the whites to soft peaks and fold them in at the end?
Thanks. Really like the taste otherwise!
Hi! Each time I’ve made these they rise and have a fluffy texture. I’m not sure what the issue could be, to be honest.. Perhaps try fluffing up your flour or sifting it prior to adding it to the batter. Whipping the egg whites sounds like it could work, give it a try! I haven’t tried that, so don’t know how it’ll turn out. Good luck!
Is this supposed to be for jumbo or standard size muffins? I used standard size tonight and they were baked through and almost burning by 20min at 350F. Also had to fill them all the way full to only get 12 muffins.
Hi Karen! I actually just reworked the recipe a bit because I was finding they weren’t coming out the way I wanted them to the way it was written. My apologies if it wasn’t coming out correctly for you… I used less cocoa powder and more milk and updated the servings to 18. I make these in standard sized muffin tins typically, although the photos show the muffins in jumbo size. If you make jumbo size, you’ll probably get about 12 muffins out of the batter. I hope you make them again and enjoy them as much as I do 🙂 Thanks for your comment!
I made these into jumbo muffins and it worked perfectly so chocolatey and yummy! I cooked them for 6 mins @ 425 and another 19 at 350! (After checking them at 15) makes 6 huge muffins! 🙂
So great to hear!! I bet these in jumbo size are fantastic!
Would this work with self raising flour as I have no plain?
Yes it should work! I would reduce the amount of baking powder by half since self-rising flour has leavener in it as well.
This recipe is amazing, however, I did do some reworking. I used 1% milk instead of whole because that is all I had. I also used vanilla greek yogurt and and put 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract instead of 1 tablespoon.
Another thing I noticed is that my muffins cooked really fast. Im not sure if it based on the altitude or humidity (I’m no everyday baker lol) but watch your muffins so they don’t dry out. I think I only baked them for 17 minutes 350.
Thank you for such a yummy recipe:)
★★★★★
Great substitutions! Use what you’ve got, I say 🙂
This is truly one of the best recipes I have ever tried¡ my kids loved them. I filled the cups about 3/4 and ended up with 21 muffins! they grew a lot! Thank you for the recipe, we will definitely keep it on our favorites!
One question: have you tried them with oatmeal?
★★★★★
That’s such great news! No, I haven’t tried them with oatmeal, but that’s a good idea. Let me know if you do!
Hey Kim,
I think there is a mistake up there. It’s says to add cocoa powder to flour and other dry ingredients. I. The second bowl, it still says add cocoa powder + coffee. Did I miss something?
You’re right, my apologies for that! I just updated the recipe. The cocoa powder gets added to the coffee to form a paste, not added to the dry ingredients. Thanks for pointing this out, I appreciate it!
Did the recipe used to have you melting chocolate on the stove top? Is that available somewhere?
I actually just updated the recipe because I was getting some comments here and there that people thought it was too dry. I can look for the original recipe in my files and send it to you, if you’re interested! Can you send me an email so I can reply with it? kim@kickassbaker.com
Thank you so much, I thought it was perfect! I did use 20% merlot flour so that may have slightly altered my texture. Truly delicious!
Can this be made without the coffee or is there a sub for the coffee?
Sure, you just use hot water in place of the coffee! The coffee brings out the flavor of the chocolate, you shouldn’t taste it in the end product.
Hi, i was wondering if i could sub the vegetable oil for olive oil or coconut oil?
Hi Sandra! I would sub the vegetable oil with refined coconut oil. Unrefined will have more of a coconut flavor. And olive oil will impart too much olive oil flavor. I’d stick with neutral oil like vegetable, refined coconut oil or canola oil. Hope that helps!
Hi, I baked these this morning for tea time for the grandkids. They were a hit (I may have sneaked one too).
I did some subbing, because I use what I have on hand. I mixed all the dry ingredients together, then whisked all the wet ingredients and mixed just till combined, then added choc chips.
I substituted olive oil (use extra light and their is no problem with flavor) I used buttermilk instead of whole milk and changed the leavening to 2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp baking soda. We baked them mini-muffin size at 350° for fifteen minutes.
These are delicious and the texture is light enough to call them a cupcake instead of a muffin.
★★★★★
So glad you found successful substitutions and you loved them so much!!
I’ve spent a long time looking for a chocolate muffin recipe I like. I finally found a keeper that I would be willing to make again! Most of the chocolate muffin recipes I’ve tried come out too dry, too dense, and lacking flavor for my tastes. Yes, I know they are muffins and not cupcakes. Yes, I know muffins by definition are drier and denser than cupcakes. That being said, they should still be enjoyable to eat. This recipe is the recipe I’ve been looking for. I made one small tweak to the recipe. Instead of vegetable oi, I used melted butter for extra flavor and richness. Yummmm!!!! This is a muffin I can enjoy eating and I would be proud to take to events and share with other people.
★★★★★
This made my day, Michael! Thanks for leaving a comment and for letting me know!!
What is the batter consistency supposed to be like? My batter was rather watery and all the choc chips sank to the bottom of the muffins 🙁
Hmmmm…. The batter should have been thicker than that.
Hmm I wonder what went wrong. I only swapped out veg oil for melted butter
I wish I could figure it out! It’s difficult to say without being there. I hope next time it works out better for you!
Can I swap Whole Milk with 2% Milk instead?
Yes, 2% will work just fine in this recipe!