Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Muffins
These are the BEST bakery-style chocolate chip muffins—soft, fluffy, and loaded with chocolate chips. No need to rest the batter or space them out—just mix, bake, and enjoy sky-high muffin tops every time. They’re quick, easy, and taste like they came straight from a bakery.
Originally published in 2014, this chocolate chip muffin recipe has remained a reader favorite with millions of views every year.
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- Incredibly easy to make – There is no mixer or resting time required, so you can easily whip up a batch of delicious muffins in a matter of minutes. Simply mix, scoop, and bake!
- Perfect every time – With this tried-and-true chocolate chip muffin recipe, you’ll get perfectly fluffy, moist muffins with sky-high, crispy tops and loads of melty chocolate chips, every single time.
- A go-to recipe for any bakery-style muffins – This recipe also serves as a fantastic base for creativity. You can customize your muffins any way you want by adding your favorite mix-ins.
If you are a fan of bakery-style muffins like I am, try my Blueberry Streusel Muffins, Banana Nut Muffins, and Lemon Crumb Muffins.
Or if you are in the mood for chocolate, try my Chocolate Chip Scones (they’re like giant chocolate chip cookies for breakfast!) and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars.
Ingredients you’ll need:
Substitutions & variations:
- For healthier muffins: Swap half the flour for whole wheat and reduce the amount chocolate chips.
- Dairy-free option: Use plant-based milk and replace butter with a neutral oil.
- Flavor boosts: Add orange zest, cinnamon, or espresso powder for a unique twist.
How to make chocolate chip muffins:
(The full written and printable recipe is further below.)
Step #1) In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Then toss in the chocolate chips and set aside.
Step #2) In another bowl, whisk together the melted butter and granulated sugar. Then whisk in the eggs, followed by the buttermilk and vanilla until combined.
Step #3) Add the wet ingredients to the dry mixture and stir together until just combined.
Step #4) Divide the batter evenly into a greased muffin pan. Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350°F and continue baking for another 15 minutes.
🌟 Expert tips:
- Use fresh leavening agents. Baking powder and baking soda lose their effectiveness over time. A good rule of thumb? Replace them every 6 months.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Gently fold wet and dry ingredients until just combined. Overmixing can lead to dense, tough muffins.
- Start hot for a high rise. Begin baking at a higher temperature to help the muffins rise quickly and form those bakery-style domes.
- Don’t overbake as this will dry out the muffins. Keep a close eye during the last few minutes and as soon as a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, the muffins are done.
Storing & freezing instructions:
These chocolate chip muffins can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days. To freeze, place the muffins in a freezer-safe ziplock bag or container and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds or so to warm them up before serving.
Recipe FAQs:
This is usually due to the batter being too thin because there wasn’t enough flour, too much milk, or the melted butter was too hot. The latter is usually the main error I find, so make sure to let your melted butter cool down to lukewarm.
If your muffins didn’t rise very high, it could be due to several reasons:
Old baking powder or baking soda: Leavening agents lose their effectiveness over time. If your baking powder or soda is expired or not fresh, the muffins won’t rise properly.
Incorrect oven temperature: Preheating and baking at the initial high temperature (425°F) is crucial for creating a quick rise. If your oven wasn’t hot enough, or if the temperature wasn’t maintained, the muffins won’t get that high rise.
The batter was too thin: When the batter is not thick enough, it lacks the structure to hold its shape as it rises, resulting in flat or uneven muffins. See the answer to the question above for more on this.
This often comes from overbaking or too much flour. Spoon and level the flour and keep a close eye at the 15-minute mark.
Yes, use oil instead of butter, flax eggs instead of regular eggs, plant-based milk instead of dairy milk, and vegan chocolate chips
If you’ve tried this Chocolate Chip Muffin Recipe or any other recipe on my blog please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 & ½ cups (315g) all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup (114g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled for 5 minutes (see notes*)
- 1 cup (200g granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk, (see notes**)
- 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 & ½ cups (265g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
optional toppings:
- more chocolate chips
- sparkling or coarse sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a standard 12-cup muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray or line with paper liners (if using paper liners, grease the rims of the pan to prevent the muffin tops from sticking).
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Then toss in the chocolate chips and set aside.2 & ½ cups (315g) all-purpose flour, 1 Tbsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp salt, 1 & ½ cups (265g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- In medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter and granulated sugar.½ cup (114g) unsalted butter, 1 cup (200g granulated sugar
- Then whisk in the eggs, followed by the buttermilk and vanilla until combined.2 large eggs, 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk, 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry mixture and stir together until JUST combined.
- Divide the batter evenly into the prepared muffin pan, filling to the top. Sprinkle with more chocolate chips and/or coarse sugar if desired.
- Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes. Then keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the temperature to 350°F and continue to bake for another 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for 5-10 minutes and transfer the muffins to a cooling rack. Now is the best time to enjoy the muffins while they are fresh and still warm!
Notes
Baking Soda: Reduced from 1 teaspoon to ½ teaspoon to prevent over-leavening, which can cause a bitter aftertaste.
Oven Temperature: Lowered the second baking temperature from 375°F to 350°F to minimize the risk of overbaking, as oven temperatures can vary.
Awesome Muffins !! 😊❤️
Can I use a cupcake tray if I don’t have a muffin tray?
Yes, you can. Enjoy the muffins and have a great week!
Amazing recipe. I did it for my son bday but I don’t know why the cupcakes got stuck in the tray, I did put nonstick cooking spray in the tray… but overall they were super yummy lol and for sure I will make them again!
Very easy and delicious.
Just make this and my kiddos love them and so did my husband and me. Very appreciated of you sharing this amazing recipe. Thank you so much.
You’re very welcome, Berenize! Thank you for your kind words and I’m so happy to hear your whole family loved it:)
I made these this morning and they were great. Sometimes I have issues with oven temp, but these were so moist. Made them for my grandson and he loved them. Will be making again.
Hi young baker, my fren recommended your website to me. It was really really good.
1. How do we melt the butter? Can we replace to a non melted to a softened one?
2. Why do we need to use baking soda? Can we omit that if we opt for self raising flour?
3. As for the temp, if we don’t want create a high rise look, can u pls advise on what temp best to use to bake the muffin?
Thank you so my for time and adviae.
Hi Ann,
Thank you for reaching out to me. Here are my answers:
1) Melt the butter in the microwave 20 seconds at a time until almost completely melted. Stir to completely melt. Set aside to cool while gathering the other ingredients.
2) You can omit the baking soda if you don’t want maximum rise but stick with all-purpose flour and baking powder as per the recipe.
3) If you don’t want to fuss with the two temperatures then just bake at 375F for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
I hope this all helps and please feel free to reply back with any further questions!
can’t wait to make these! Quick question – I only have a 6 muffins tray. Is it okay if I make them in two batches? If so, when the first batch is baking do I need to put the batter in the fridge to keep fresh?
Thanks!
Hi Ti,
You can just cover it while the first batch is baking. You can also cut the recipe in half if you’d wish. Enjoy and have a great day!
Great recipe! I added raisins and chopped pecans in addition to the chocolate chips, and cut the sugar down to 1/2 cup because the raisins are sweet too. Kid and husband approved 🙌🏼
This recipe makes two dozen muffins
It came out great, and due to lack of ingredients in the house and wanting to get these done before a heatwave struck, they ended up vegan; vegan butter, applesauce instead of eggs, almond milk, and vegan CC worked well. With all these adjustments and being a mediocre baker at best, they came out great tasted like chocolate chip muffins from a bakery!
Baked this recipe twice this week. At both times I used vegan butter (i.e. margarine), and I was surprised at how fluffy the batter turned out (we know how tempramental vegan butter can be); I guess the baking soda and buttermilk created a leavening effect and covered the vegan butter’s inability to hold air when whisking. Love how it’s not too sweet too. Will defs bake it again! Thank you!
You’re very welcome Sasha and thank you for sharing your success with the vegan butter!
I made these today and they are extremely tasty! The only thing is that the muffins deflated once they cooled…. not sure why, but I will try to make them again soon!!!
Sorry to hear that your muffins deflated. When this happens it’s usually due to one of two reasons: Inactive/insufficient leavening or underbaked. Since there is plenty of leaving in this recipe, perhaps it was slightly underbaked. Try baking them for 2 minutes longer to see if that helps.
Hiii young baker here! I havent made these yet but I expect them to be great! I came to the comments to ask if I could use cream of tartar and milk as a substitute for buttermilk?
You can just use the milk. Enjoy and pls feel free to reply back with any further questions:)
Hey so is it tbs as tablespoon or teaspoon because I weighted them and with a teaspoon it’s a third time art of what it should weight and now I’m worried haha
Tbsp is a tablespoon. I hope it still worked out.
Lol got all my ingredients ready, butter melted, dry ingredients mixed and then went hunting for my chocolate chips. None to be found! Apparently I had used them the week before. So in a panic and not wanting to waste anything I threw in blueberries. They turned out amazing!!
Thank you and I’m so glad you were quick on your thinking and threw in some blueberries to save the batter, lol!
Amazing recipe! I didn’t have buttermilk or normal milk so I used almond milk and it still turned out great!
I reduced sugar to 1.5 cups instead of 2 cups. I followed everything else exactly as in the recipe and it was great. It was still sweet enough for me. I might take out a little more sugar next time.
I forgot I only used 1 cup of semi-sweet mini chocolate chips.
Hey Hannah,
The recipe actually only calls for 1 cup of sugar so try that next time:) Thank you for your feedback and I’m glad you enjoyed the muffins!
Turned out great!
Is there a way to use this recipe to make mini muffins? What temp and how long would I bake it for?
Yes, for mini muffins, bake for 10-12 minutes at 375F only. Enjoy!
These muffins were taste tested approved by 4 out of 5 of my boys (the youngest is a baby, so he didn’t get a vote lol), AND my husband, so it’s definitely a keeper in this house! I didn’t read all of your notes though, and didn’t catch that you used mini chocolate chips. I’m going to use those next time as my husband’s only complaint was that they were a bit TOO chocolate-y.
Thank you for your feedback, Jessica! I’m glad to hear it was a hit:)