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,
I have to tell you I’m not the baker in my family. I’m the cook.. lol. But I followed your recipe for these chocolate chip muffins and they came out perfect. Enjoyed one with my coffee this morning. Awesome recipe. Thank you so much!!
You’re very welcome, Tracie, and thank you for your kind words!
Made half with blueberries and half with chocolate chips, and most of the batch is gone as soon as they cooled off! Soooo good!
Simply delicious! This has become my go to recipe for chocolate chip muffins … worthy of being handwritten in the cookbook I’m making for my daughter who’s off at university and missing a little taste of home!
Thank you and how nice of you to do that for your daughter!
How long should I bake if I want to make 6 extra large muffins?
About 10-15 minutes longer. Enjoy and have a great day!
Hi! How do I make modifications to turn this into a double chocolate muffin instead? How much cocoa powder should I add to batter and how much ingredient to remove to make up for additional cocoa powder?
Hi, if you’re looking for a double chocolate version, use this recipe: https://www.littlesweetbaker.com/double-chocolate-muffins/ I hope you like it and have a great weekend!
I’ve tried a lot of recipes for chocolate chip muffins, but this one is the best one!
Thank you! ❤️
You’re very welcome, Nandini! Thank you for your kind words and have a lovely weekend!
Love these! The batter itself is yummy too 😂
Just a question, after they’re taken out of the oven, should I leave the muffins in the pan or take them out as soon as possible?
Thank you! You can leave them in the pan to cool. That’s what I usually do.
I replaced the eggs with 6 tbsp of almond butter (because I started making the recipe when realized I was out of eggs) and OMG!!!!!!!!!!! They taste so good with almond butter. 10/10 recommend.
I also used slightly less flour (2 cups) and added vanilla protein powder. So amazing.
My first time making muffins and this recipe is perfect!!! No need to alter. I was blown away!! The only problem is my husbands reaction is always the best and he just realized today that he’s lost his sense of smell & taste!! So I received no glory this time 🤣 I’ll be remaking these often!! Thank you, Lily!!
You’re very welcome, Sarah! Sorry, you received no glory, lol, but I hope your husband feels better soon!
Excellent recipe. Super easy to make and the family loved them
These muffins were wonderful but were on the dry side. I may add a quarter cup of applesauce next time. What I loved about them was they were not ‘too’ sweet. The chocolate chips did the trick.
Thank you for your feedback, Shawn. I don’t think you need to add the applesauce. It will change the texture. I would just bake it for a few minutes less.
I followed the recipe exactly (except for the buttermilk I used the lemon juice with regular milk substitute that was in the notes) and they came out fantastic. This recipe was definitely worth trying and was a hit with everyone I shared it with.
Could I relace the granulated sugar with granulated monkfruit and erythirol sweetner?
Hi Aaron, I have never baked with those sugars before so I can’t say. I would follow the instructions on the package because some allow a 1:1 ratio but some recommend not using more than 1/2 cup or 1:1/2 ratio depending on the blend and brand you use. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help.
Very delicious. I’m trying to wait at least a few minutes before I devour another. I may or may not have added an extra half cup of chocolate chips. Thanks for sharing. Will definitely make again
And again. And again. 😆
You’re very welcome! Enjoy all that extra chocolaty goodness😉
Very good! I made these dairy free by substituting oatmilk for the buttermilk(added vinegar)and melted coconut oil for the butter. I used regular sized dairy free semi sweet chocolate chips. Baked for 5 and then 13 minutes and they were perfect. So good warm out of the oven.
Wow, these are really great! I substituted the butter with 1 mashed banana and a little nonfat Greek yogurt to fill 1/2 cup, and I used vinegar+oat milk in place of the buttermilk. They were done right at 12 minutes, so I’m glad I tested. I will say that I think they’re maybe a little too chocolatey. (I know, I know, LOL) We all loved them, but next time I’ll try 1 cup of chips, or maybe 1 cup of chips with 1/2 cup of chopped nuts. Thank you for the great recipe!
You’re very welcome! I never knew there could be such a thing as too much chocolate, lol.
Ive made these muffins many times in the last few years. It’s a snow day, so we’re making them again today! These are the only chocolate chip muffins I eat. Our whole family loves them! Thank you!
You’re very welcome, Jennifer, and thank you for your kind review!
This was the best homemade chocolate chip muffins I ever had! About being bakery style – absolutely true.
I am so thrilled to finally find recipes that actually make me feel like a baker. I am a fan of your recipes. I have tried one other recipe (for which I shall leave a comment and rating next) and I am beyond happy with how good they taste and how quickly they get eaten up. Thank you and keep sharing recipes.
Aww, you’re very welcome, Lakshmi! Thank you so much for your kind words. Much appreciated! xoxo
How long should I bake when doing 24 mini muffins instead? Thanks!
10-12 minutes at 375F. Enjoy and have a great weekend!
Best ever muffin recipe!!!!
I never comment but with these I had to let you know how wonderful they are with the recipe just as written. I’ll definitely make again! In face, this is my 2nd time. 1st time they were super dry mixing then I realized that I’d only put in 1/2 C milk so I just poured in more milk & they were full proof. Thank you!