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.
Hi these were so delicious, I just wondered could they be made into chocolate muffins, if so how would i do this
Hi Donna,
I’m so glad you liked them! Here is my recipe for double chocolate muffins https://www.littlesweetbaker.com/double-chocolate-muffins/ Thank you for your kind words and I hope you enjoy these ones as well!
Thank you will be baking some on Tuesday
Love the recipe! I’ve made them twice now and have just one question. It seems as though they are baking unevenly. After adjusting the temperature, I baked them for a total of about 16-17 minutes (while checking on them after the initial 12 minutes) but some of the middles have slightly collapsed because I assume they are a tad under baked. Is this something I can fix when making the batter, or is it about the way my oven bakes?
Delicious. The perfect crunchy top. I added sugar crystals on top.
Will definitely make these again!
These muffins are awesome! Thank you for the recipe.
Can these muffins be frozen?
Yes, they freeze well. Let me know if you have any other questions:)
Omg these muffins are super delicious. I will re make these forever. Toddler approved!
Thanks, Shelby! I love it when my recipes are toddler approved. They are the most honest critics:)
Hi! This recipe is always delicious when I make it. However, sometimes the batter is very soupy and I don’t know why. Am I not cooling the butter long enough? Or something else? I double check the measurements and everything is accurate. But other user error on my end, love the muffins!
Hi Kellie,
Yes, if the batter is that thin it’s because the butter was still too warm. Make sure it’s cool to the touch before mixing it with the other ingredients. Let me know if you have any other questions and have a great weekend!
oh apologies, i see it now in the notes portion.
//For mini muffins; bake for 10-12 minutes at 375F only.//
excited to tryout!
No worries. I hope you enjoy the muffins with your little ones!
good day, would love to try this recipe with toddlers this weekend!
may i ask how do i adjust the temperature or timing, if im baking with mini muffin trays?
thank you 🙂
This is a fantastic recipe. I really enjoyed it! Thank-you for sharing!
I consider myself pretty apt in the kitchen but my muffins always lacked that bakery texture. This recipe is fantastic and I think it really has a lot to do with the instructions. Best muffins I’ve made in all my 47 years! Thank you!
Aww, what a sweet thing to say! You’re welcome and thank you for your lovely comment:) xoxo
These came out amazing! Super moist and so tasty 🙂
Thank you so much for the recipe!!
These muffins are the best I have ever had!! So good!
Wow! Great recepie and versatile. I made a mini bunt cake with it. Only thing I would do and this is purely personal preference is just a little less chocolate chips, but again that’s just me. All around, best muffins ever!
Thank you for your rave review, Constantin! I’m glad you like the muffins so much:)
Best muffin recipe I’ve ever had,Thank you so much for sharing…!
These were awesome! Easy to make, too. My favorite recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Awesome recipe! Subbed in coconut milk with the Tbsp of vinegar for the buttermilk and they turned out great! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
You’re very welcome, Candace! I’m glad you enjoyed it and thank you for your lovely feedback:)
Best muffins I’ve ever had! 🙂
I love this recipe. I’ve used so many times for my family and this time I’ve decided to switch vanilla extract for the lemon extract. It’s so delicioussss.
Thank you Lily!
You’re very welcome and thank you for your lovely comment!
Amazing muffin recipe! I’ve made it about 20 times and it’s never failed me. My dad always asks me to make them o on the weekends. Thanks Lily for a delicious way to start the morning!
You’re very welcome, Javeria! Thank you for your lovely words and for making my recipe so often:)