Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffins (video)
A crispy, sky-high muffin top, full of chocolate chips, soft and buttery on the inside – a perfect way to start your morning!
I love enjoying a good muffin with a nice, warm cup of coffee, especially now that the fall weather is setting in. My favorite part of a muffin is the muffin top, that’s why I love bakery style muffins. Breaking off that large, crispy muffin top and taking that first bite is heaven to me. When I was a kid, I would only eat the tops of my muffins and it used to drive my mother crazy because she though it was so wasteful. But, the bottom just couldn’t compare to the top. This reminds me of that Seinfeld episode back in the 90’s where Elaine had the idea of a store just selling muffin tops. I know I totally dated myself with the last reference, but I hope some of you know what I’m talking about or else I’m just going to feel old and geeky.
Anyway, let’s talk baking science. The key to the perfect bakery style muffin is to have just enough leavening agents (baking soda and baking powder) to create that puffy dome when baking, but not so much that you can taste it. Baking at an initial high temperature will cause the air bubbles in the batter to expand even further. This will help give the muffin a soft and fluffy texture and also create the high rise. Using enough fats and liquids like butter, eggs, and milk, will make the muffins moist and rich. You also need enough volume of batter to fill the tins to the top. Lastly, and this is a tip in general for making soft and tender muffins, mix the wet with the dry ingredients until JUST combined. Over mixing will result in hockey pucks and you don’t want that. Everything else is a matter of preference in taste.
I used mini chocolate chips for this recipe because they disperse more evenly throughout, but you can use regular chocolate chips or chocolate chunks if you prefer. I also added some salt to enhance all the flavors. I used to shy away from salt, but I learned from watching Master Chef that it’s useful for more than just adding a savory taste, it also potentiates all the other flavors. I added 1 tablespoon of vanilla because I like vanilla in all my baked goods. It’s just one of those flavors that goes well with most things, and of course you need some sugar. I only used 1 cup of sugar for this recipe because the chocolate chips are already sweet. So, in a nutshell, that’s pretty much how I came up with the recipe.
Enjoy these fabulous muffins with your morning coffee and/or as an afternoon snack. They’re moist, fluffy, rich in flavor, loaded with sweet chocolate chips, and they’re so delicious, I promise you’ll want to devour the whole thing, not just the tops.
Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12
- Category: breakfast, snack
- Method: bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
The BEST chocolate chip muffin recipe – soft, moist, fluffy, loaded with chocolate chips, and a perfect crispy sky-high muffin top!
Ingredients
- 2 & ½ cups (315g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp (13g) baking powder
- 1 tsp (5g) baking soda
- ½ tsp (2.5g) salt
- ½ cup (114g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (250ml) buttermilk (see notes for substitutions*)
- 1 tbsp (15ml) vanilla extract
- 1 & ½ cups (275g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a 12 cup muffin tray with non-stick cooking spray or line with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, toss together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and chocolate chips. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sugar, eggs, milk and vanilla. Slowly add to the dry ingredients. Gently fold together until JUST combined.
- Divide the batter into the 12 muffin cups and bake at 425°F for 5 minutes. Then reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and continue to bake for another 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Do not overbake or the muffins will be dry. Let cool for about 5-10 minutes and enjoy warm.
Notes
*You can substitute the buttermilk with any kind of milk. Even non-dairy milk like almond or rice milk works. Simply mix it with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to make 1 cup.
Muffins taste best the day of, but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
For mini muffins; bake for 10-12 minutes at 375F only.
You might also like my Bakery Style Blueberry Streusel Muffins, Bakery Style Banana Nut Muffins, and Double Chocolate Muffins. Click here to see all muffin recipes.
Does the gram measurements work? I am from the UK and I’m not sure the grams will work?
Hi Aaron,
Yes, the gram measurements work. I’ve had many readers from the UK and the Orient use the gram measurements and have had great success with this recipe. Thank you for your question:)
Thanks for that. I am going to try these out in the next hour or so. Just another question 425F is around 220C so with my fan oven that would be 200C then 375F is 190C so 170C in my fan oven.
That about right?
That seems about right. Now every oven is different and it’s your first time with the recipe, so just keep an eye on things. Enjoy:)
Tonight was my 3rd time making these. It’s only fitting I made these for our Mother’s Day brunch tomorrow, because my mother LOVES this recipe!! She’s a chocolate chip freak so I use a combo of mini & regular size chips. I also put a tiny sprinkle of sugar on the tops before baking. They’re a huge hit, no pun intended, these come out huge!! Thanks for posting the recipe.
You’re welcome Amy and thank you for your lovely feedback. I’m glad you and your mom enjoy them so much:)
I follow a lot of blogs/recipes online but never comment – however for this one I feel like I have to. I am not a good cook or baker by any means, but have made this recipe 7 times now in the past two months (yes, 7!) and not ONCE did it fail me. Best absolute muffin recipe out there. They are crispy on the outside, so delish and soft on the inside. I think lowering the temperature after 5 minutes is the secret. Anyway, thank you SO much for sharing this recipe. I’ll be making it for many many years!
Aww, you’re welcome Coralie and thank you for your kind words. I’m glad you enjoy the recipe so much.
This is a great recipe the muffins are moist with crunchy tops and a perfect size. I have tried many muffin recipes and this by far the best.
Thank you for your kind words Lisa. Enjoy:)
Thank you for sharing this recipe , I made a couple times. It is really good .
You’re welcome Vivh and thank you for your feedback. Have a great day:)
The muffins turned out to be delicious and beautiful! Thank you! I do have a question: Did you sprinkle chocolate chips on top of the muffins before they come out of the oven to get that “chocolate chip full of the top” look?
Thank you! <3
Hi Voila, you’re welcome and thank you for your kind words. I actually sprinkle some extra chocolate chips on top of the batter before baking to give it that look.
Hi Lily, I just made these tonight but I made them into mini muffins and this recipe yield exactly 50pcs which is just nice for a family feast tomorrow. Baked them at 210 deg C for 3mins and then lower it to 180 deg C for abt 5 mins… these babies are just perfect… crispy on the outer edges and soft and light on the inside with miniature choc chip bursts within…plus, my whole house smells so wonderful…aahh… thank you so much….Love from Singapore
Aww, you’re welcome Maisarah and thank you for your lovely feedback and tip on baking them mini style. Hugs:)
I just tried them this morning, and they were delicious !!!! My daughter loved them so much she took couple of them for her school teacher.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe !! I can’t wait to try your other recipes !!!
Aww, wonderful to hear Hyeyoung. I’m glad you and your daughter enjoyed them so much. You’re welcome and thank you for your kind words:)
A perfect recipe!
I knew the monet they filled exactly 12:)
And they rose beautifully..one of our little grandsons is coming over after school:) These will be waiting for him..
Thank you.
Aww, that’s sweet. I hope he enjoys them as much as my little guys do and thank you for your kind words:)
Oh my Goodness, I just made it and it was sooooo yummy and easy.
Awesome, and thank you for your wonderful feedback:)
I have been searching high and low for the perfect chocolate chip muffin and have finally found it in this recipe! Just baked these and they are outstanding! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!!
Wonderful to hear Michele. Thank you for your kind words. Enjoy and have a lovely evening:)
I made these as mini muffins. The first time I made them, I wasn’t terribly impressed with the results, however I suspected that it was probably because I didn’t allow the eggs and the milk to come to room temperature first. The second time I made them, I realized that it was also entirely possible that I left out the baking powder the first time. The second batch came out nice and fluffy and everything I expect from a muffin. Chocolate chip muffins are my favorite, but commercial varieties are often too sweet for my taste. Thanks for sharing this great recipe.
You’re welcome Gina. I’m really happy you gave the recipe a second chance and everything worked out well. Have a lovely day:)
Hi….made the muffins yesterday…. they were a winner from the moment they were out of the oven…I have 3 picky people when it comes to food and they just loved them..
I divided the batter in half… added 2 tsp cacao powder to half portion and converted them into chocolate muffins…even they came out super awesome…
Thanks a lot for a lovely recipe….it’s a keeper..
You’re welcome Monica. Thank you for your wonderful feedback. Have a great day:)
Muffins turned out excellent! Thanks for the recipe! I also added a topping of sugar/brown sugar with a bit of raspberry sugar for extra flavor!
Oh, the sugar flavors sound wonderful. Thank you for your feedback and enjoy:)
I tried this recipe and it was a success. My friends loved it! I am a junior in high school and I have to volunteer in this annual bake sale. Beside chocolate chip muffins, what other goods should I make from your website that is simple but delicious?
Thank you for your feedback Nancy. My Oatmeal Scotchies would be great for a bake sale because the recipe makes 3 dozen cookies. Also my Nutella brownies or my red velvet chocolate chip cookies would work too because they are super quick and easy to make. Enjoy and have a great day:)
http://littlesweetbaker.com/2015/11/20/soft-and-chewy-oatmeal-scotchies/
http://littlesweetbaker.com/2015/04/10/5-minute-chocolate-hazelnut-brownies/
http://littlesweetbaker.com/2014/01/26/easy-red-velvet-chocolate-chip-cookies/
You are amazing! Thank you for making such a wonderful recipe! It taste so good and my whole family loves it.
Aww, thank you for your kind words. I’m glad you and your family enjoyed them so much:)
I’ve just put the muffins in the over but stupidly left the eggs out! I hope they still rise and come out ok because I’ve used this recipe before and they are delicious.
Oh no, how did they turn out?
They came out absolutely fine! Still had a crunchy top and they were reasonably light. No body even knew I had forgotten the egg. Thank you for writting down grams in you recipe I’m from the UK and we do things in grams while you do things in cups. Your recipe is amazing and I use it nearly every day. I would say if people didn’t like egg or couldn’t eat egg then leave it out because it only adds a little rise when it’s included. Egg free choc chip muffins lol.
You’re welcome and I’m glad everything worked out (even without the eggs lol) Take care and have a great day:)
Hi! I am a student in high school and for science we have a project called “the Genius Project”. Basically we have to learn a skill and perfect it by the end of the semester. I choose perfecting a chocolate chip muffin recipe. One of the requirement is to interview an expert. I used 2 recipes to start with as a template. I used yours and the recipe from the website AllRecipes. Now I have to start to create my own recipes. In your opinion what is the best amount of baking powder and baking soda for one recipe? Also what should I add to make the muffins more moist on the inside? Thank you!
Hi Josephine,
The amount of leavening agent will depend on the volume of your batter. It’s usually 2-4 tsp in most recipes. The fatty ingredients like oil, butter and dairy is what makes the muffins moist. I like using butter, its the most flavourful and then usually some dairy like milk and/or sour cream. If you want, I can review the recipe you create and let you know my thoughts. Feel free to email me back if you have any further questions and good luck on your project:)
Thank you so much! You have been very helpful. I will definitely email you if I have more questions.
You did an amazing job! It really looked professional and these muffins look delicious! I have no clue as to where to start with videos.
Thanks Julie. It took me awhile to finally get around to making a video. Once you get over the initial learning curve, it’s pretty easy and fun.
BEST.MUFFIN.EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and I am a very picky baker…
Thanks! You’re too kind and I’m glad you enjoyed them so much:)
hi! i was wondering if this recipe would work if i made it dairy free? butter substituted for margarine or oil and milk substituted for almond or soy milk?
thank you:)
Hi Kayak,
Yes, this recipe works with vegetable oil and any type of non-dairy milk. Enjoy:)
Do we need to add something to make up for the missing fat content? For whatever reason I can have butter but not milk. When I use Almond Milk it seems like the baked goods don’t rise as much.
Hi Charity, I’ve not tried it for myself, but I’ve had readers that have used almond milk in this recipe and it worked out wonderfully. So give it a try. I think you’ll be happy with the results.
We made it and certainly it doesn’t have the fullness of whole milk but they rose decently and still taste great. Thanks!
You’re welcome and thank you for your feedback. Have a great week:)