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.
Hello, Could I use 1 cup chocolate chips and the rest white chips.
Yes, you can. Enjoy the muffins:)
Hi there! Quick question, how much should I fill the muffin tins? Half way or to the top?
Thanks!
All the way to the top! Enjoy the muffins:)
This is one of the best muffin recipes I’ve ever made. I have Celiac Disease so I made these Gluten free with Pamelas all purpose flour. They are soft,buttery and perfection! Thank you so much for this recipes💜
You’re very welcome, Mona! Thank you for your kind words. xoxo
This was so delicious. Our family felt like they were at a bed and breakfast enjoying these treats. 1 dozen wasnt enough as all the kids wanted 2 each;)
How many kids do you have? LOL Thank you for your kind words, Linda, and have a great week!
These are amazing!Â
Can these be baked in jumbo muffin tins and if so for how long?
Yes, they can! Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy and have a great week!
Hello! I’m planning to make these but I just wanted to check about the quantity of leavening agent. A full tablespoon of baking powder and a teaspoon of baking soda on top of that seems like a lot compared to other muffin recipes I’ve made/read. I’m afraid it will create a burning taste. Is that the  correct amount? If so, do you know why that works in this recipe without messing up the flavor? I’m a fairly novice baker – your insight is very appreciated!
Hi Renee,
Yes, that is correct. It is more than compared to most recipes, but that’s why these muffins rise so high like bakery muffins. There shouldn’t be any burning taste, but if you are concerned, you can omit the baking soda. However, do not reduce the amount of baking powder, this is key. I hope you enjoy the muffins and pls feel free to reply back with any further questions:)
Super easy and delicious! My kids loved it and so did I! Will def be saved for future making on a saturday morning!
These came out so dry for me and I have no idea why. I used milk since I didn’t have buttermilk and is it because I did the 5 min at 425?Â
Sorry to hear it was dry. It was most likely overbaked. How long did you bake it for?
Just the recipe I was looking for! Works every time and makes a great base for other  flavors of muffin too.  After making the chocolate chip ones above I tried white chocolate and a small pack of raspberries. This recipe is fool proof!Â
How much flour does this recipe call for?Â
2 & 1/2 cups of flour. The full recipe and instructions are just above this comment section.
Instead of putting the batter in a muffin tin, can I just put it in a loaf tin?
You can, but don’t overfill the loaf pan. Bake at 350F for 45-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Enjoy and happy Saturday!
I made these easy delicious chocolate chip muffins this morning for out of town family. Everyone loved the muffins!
I had read some of the reviews before I started making them.
I mixed the sugar in with the dry ingredients. Baked at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Depending how hot your oven is.
Hi Lily!
Do you have a recipe for double chocolate chip muffins? If not how could I alter this recipe? Thanks!Â
Yes, I do and here it is. Enjoy!
https://www.littlesweetbaker.com/double-chocolate-muffins/
Made your chocolate chip muffins today love them. Very airy and moist. Thank you.
You’re very welcome, Doug! Enjoy and happy Sunday!
Delicious! Better than my recipe that I made for years! I used only whole milk and it was fine. I wasn’t sure how to prepare for high altitude, so I added 3 or 4 extra tablespoons of flour and an extra tablespoon of milk.
I don’t understand why you let the batter an extra 20 minutes it doesn’t say anything about letting the batter sit. Please explain
Hi Eddie,
Some readers, like Lade, like to let their batter rest before baking. It’s supposed to allow the gluten to relax for a softer texture. It’s not something I do, that’s why it’s not in the instructions.
If I use normal milk do I add lemon juice
Yes, you can add a tbsp of lemon juice to mimic buttermilk. Enjoy the muffins!
My new muffin recipe.  Oh my🥳.  These are delicious, moist, a little crusty, super amazing. Thank You for this gift.  I let the batter sit for an additional 20 min… I’m going to have to try more of your recipes.  Cheers.
You’re very welcome and thank you for your kind words, Lade! I hope you enjoy my other recipes just as much:)
Fantastic recipe! And super simple ingredients. I used the milk/ lemon juice combo instead of the buttermilk. Thank you for the substitution suggestion.
You’re very welcome, Kim! Glad you like it:)
Excellent!! Great rise!!