Originally published in 2013, this chocolate chip muffin recipe has remained a reader favorite. These bakery-style chocolate chip muffins are BIG in size, flavor, and texture. They’re deliciously soft and moist with a crackly muffin top. Cinnamon spiced and loaded with chocolate chips, you’ll never turn to another muffin recipe again.
Today’s homemade chocolate chip muffins rival any from a bakery. They’re large and in charge, bursting with flavor, and are topped with a sweet sparkly sugar crunch. Like an acceptable version of chocolate chip cookies for breakfast! It’s a variation from my master bakery-style muffin recipe.
Video Tutorial
Ingredients in Chocolate Chip Muffins
Besides flavor and texture, you’ll appreciate the simple ingredient list. You only need a few basic ingredients to make absolutely awesome chocolate chip muffins. Each ingredient is important and transforms boring muffins into bakery-style chocolate chip muffins!
- Flour: Flour is the foundation of these chocolate chip muffins muffins; we need a thick batter to hold all of the chocolate chips.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: A lot of leavener is required to create a significant rise against all of the wet ingredients.
- Cinnamon & Nutmeg: Cinnamon is a muffin’s favorite spice. You only need a small pinch of nutmeg, too. I promise you that nutmeg is what most chocolate chip muffin recipes are missing. You’ll never go back!
- Vanilla Extract & Salt: Both are used for flavor.
- Eggs: Eggs add moisture and bind everything together.
- Sour Cream or Plain Yogurt: Just like I do with chocolate covered strawberry muffins, I began adding a touch of sour cream to this batter. It helps keep the muffins extra moist and I highly recommend it!
- Sugar: Use granulated sugar to sweeten these muffins.
- Oil: Oil produces a moist, tender muffin. These days I combine a little melted butter and oil. See my recipe note.
- Milk: Milk adds plenty of moisture and lightens up the crumb.
- Chocolate Chips: These wouldn’t be chocolate chip muffins without chocolate chips! I always keep a large stash on hand for these muffins and chocolate chip cookies.
- Coarse Sprinkling Sugar: My secret ingredient used for sparkle and crunch on top. I like Sugar in the Raw or you can use white sparkling sugar sprinkles, usually found with the sprinkles in the baking aisle.
How to Make Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffins
This chocolate chip muffin recipe couldn’t be easier. The batter comes together in minutes, so it’s a wonderful recipe for busy mornings.
Mix the wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately by hand, then combine them. The batter will be thick, which is ideal for holding muffin add-ins like fruit, nuts, or chocolate chips. Muffin batter is much thicker than cupcake batter because muffins are more dense. The thicker the batter, the less likely the add-ins will sink to the bottom.
- Tip: Make sure the eggs, sour cream, and milk are at room temperature, which incorporates them quicker and easier with other ingredients. I recommend taking these ingredients out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before starting.
Divide the batter in your muffin pan and fill each all the way to the top. You can make this recipe as 6 large muffins (shown), 14-15 standard size muffins, or 40 mini muffins. Top with a sprinkle of coarse sugar for a truly authentic bakery-style muffin!
Don’t Over-mix.
When combining the wet and dry ingredients, don’t over mix. This is very important to ensure soft and fluffy chocolate chip muffins. You’ll be tempted to keep on mixing because this batter is so thick, but it only takes about 20 strokes to mix it all together. You might notice a few lumps in the batter, but that’s normal. Remember, don’t overmix!
The Secret Trick for Tall Muffin Tops
Fill your muffin tins all the way to the top. If using a giant muffin tin, your batter will fill 6 large tins to the brim, as shown above. Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425°F degrees, then for about 25 minutes at 350°F degrees. This initial high oven temperature lifts the muffin top up quickly and creates a tall crust, which is why filling the muffin tins to the top is imperative.
Most muffins bake between 350°F – 375°F for the entire time. Setting the oven to 425°F initially and then lowering the temperature after 5 minutes guarantees muffins with tall, sugar-crusted, crackly tops. I do this in all my muffin recipes.
See my Master Bakery-Style Muffin Recipe for more flavor options and ideas. Or just need to satisfy a craving fast? Try my recipe for 1 chocolate chip muffin.
More Favorite Muffin Recipes
- Blueberry Muffins
- Cranberry Orange Muffins
- Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Banana Chocolate Chip Streusel Muffins
- Morning Glory Muffins
- Banana Muffins
Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 jumbo muffins or 15 standard muffins
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Big, bakery style muffins stuffed with chocolate chips and topped with a sprinkle of sugar. This recipe is written to yield 6 jumbo muffins. For standard size or mini muffins, see notes at the bottom of the recipe. Baking times differ.
Ingredients
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
- 1/3 cup (5 Tablespoons; 71g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1/3 cup (80ml) vegetable oil*
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup (80g) sour cream or yogurt, at room temperature*
- 1 cup (240ml) milk, at room temperature*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups (270g) semi-sweet chocolate chips*
- optional: coarse sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Generously grease a jumbo 6-count muffin pan with butter or nonstick spray (nonstick spray recommended) or line with muffin liners. Set aside.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Whisk the melted butter, oil, sugar, and eggs together until combined. Then whisk in the sour cream, milk, and vanilla extract. Mixture will be pale yellow. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and fold together with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon until completely combined. Use a whisk to rid any large lumps of flour, if needed. Avoid overmixing. The batter will be thick. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Divide batter between each muffin cup, filling all the way to the top. Sprinkle with coarse sugar (for added crunch, recommended!). Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C) and continue to bake for 25-26 minutes until the tops are lightly golden brown and centers are set. Stick a toothpick in the center of a muffin to test for doneness. If it comes out clean, the muffins are done.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes in pan before serving.
- Cover leftover muffins and store at room temperature for 5 days or in the refrigerator for 1 week. Muffins freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or on the counter.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 6-Count Jumbo Muffin Pan | Jumbo Muffin Liners | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Silicone Spatula or Wooden Spoon | White Sparkling Sugar
- Oil: Vegetable oil, canola oil, or melted coconut oil work best in this recipe.
- Sour Cream/Yogurt: I recommend full fat sour cream or full fat or low fat plain yogurt. I don’t recommend fat-free for either.
- Milk: I like to use buttermilk or whole milk in this recipe because either add wonderful moisture and flavor. You can use any milk, dairy or nondairy, but the lower fat milk you use, the less flavorful and moist your muffins will taste.
- Chocolate Chips: I love using a mix of regular size and mini size chocolate chips for varying chocolate texture. You can also use chocolate chunks or milk chocolate chips.
- Standard Size Muffins or Mini Muffins: For standard size muffins baked in a 12-count muffin pan, reduce baking time to about 20 total minutes: 5 initial minutes at 425°F and 15 minutes at 350°F. Yields 14-15 standard size muffins. For about 40 mini muffins, bake for 11-13 minutes at 350°F the entire time.
- Why is everything at room temperature? All refrigerated items should be at room temperature so the batter mixes together easily and evenly. Read for more about the importance of room temperature ingredients.
So good! And they came out so huge and happy, my dad said they were a 10/10 before even trying them! Yessss! Thanks Sally!!
I like most of your recipes but found these to be far too dense and bready. Not at all like bakery muffins. Tasted great, but too dense and dry.
Thank you for the thorough instructions! The muffins rose beautifully, but seem a bit dry. I noticed it says 1 cup of milk (240ml) – isn’t there 250ml in a cup? I know it’s not much of a difference, but I used 240ml, because that’s what’s in the recipe.
Hi Amira, 1 cup can range from 240-250ml. I use 240ml in this recipe for 1 cup. I’m glad you enjoyed these– if you ever try them again, reduce the bake time by a minute or 2. Over-baking can dry them out.
Absolutely devine! Made these exactly as stated and they came out moist and delicious. I made 12 standard size muffins and didn’t see the note about reducing bake time until later but I always reduce the time anyway due to my finicky oven – did the first 5 min at 425 and 20 min at 350 and they turned out awesome. They didn’t seem particularly brown on top but the bounce back test accurately indicated their doneness. I used 50% cocoa dark chocolate chips ….so good! I had my 10 yr old son as a helper and he agrees that we need to make more IMMEDIATELY! 😉 Thank you for a great recipe!
Whoa! Whoa! Anyone who had trouble with this recipe must not have followed your detailed instructions completely. So very perfect!
can i use Greek yogurt instead of plain yogurt
Absolutely!
The muffins tasted really good, but they sticked to the cupcake liner, how can I fix that? I halved the recipe, and I baked it for only about 20 minutes instead of 30 since they looked ready(they were baked well), could that be why they were sticking to the cupcake liners?
Hi Mia, they may not have been completely done. Some liners are prone to sticking to batter– if you try the recipe again, spray the liners with nonstick spray. That always helps.
Sally, it’s now 2 a.m. CST and I just pulled the muffins out of the oven and tasted one . . . Wow, fantastic.
Thank you so much for all your recipes. You make us all seem like pros to our family and friends. God bless.
Made these muffins this weekend and they were delicious. Thinking of making the batter at night next time, refrigerating, and then baking in the morning. Do you think they would come out ok?
Hi Jodi, so glad you loved these! No, we do not recommend making the batter ahead of time. The raising agents will activate too soon and the muffins will not rise properly when baked. Best to bake right away!
I just made these tonight — they taste really good and were very easy for someone who rarely bakes from scratch (me) to make! I think I will leave out the nutmeg next time (not to my taste in this recipe, even though I love nutmeg in other baked goods and savory foods), and layer on even more sugar on the tops. The recommended baking time for normal-sized muffins was perfect for my oven.
Such a good recipe! And very versatile! I used wholemeal SR flour, strawberries and a 2/3 sugar and they are delicious!
My daughter loves them!
these turned out great, best tips.
The only thing I changed was I left out the cinnamon and nutmeg and replaced with 2 tsp of dry instant espresso…
THESE WERE SO GOOD! I followed the recipe and directions to a T, and they came out HUGE and moist. I sprinkled some coarse sugar (Turbinado, specifically) on top as was suggested. That made such an big impact! The crunch made it feel fancy and was extra delivious, and the nutmeg and cinnamon really added to the flavor.
The only deviation that mine needed were ~7 extra minutes in the oven during the 350 stage. They looked raw on top when I tried to pull them out at 26 minutes. I must have a cooler oven.
I absolutely love these muffins!! They are so fluffy and moist it’s amazing. I’d like to try adding pumpkin, for pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. Is there anything a out the recipe that needs to change for that?
I love that you give directions for how to store the leftovers but this step is definitely not needed in my house, there are never leftovers. My family begs me to make these often. Thank you!!!
Tried some of your recipes and they come out flawless each time! Thank you thank you thank you!
I have a severe nut allergy so need to leave the nutmeg out and need to leave cinnamon out too – do I need to tweak the recipe? Thanks
Hi Sam, if needed, you can omit the cinnamon and nutmeg. Hope you enjoy the muffins!
Found these to be very dense and dry. Not what I was expecting given the reviews. Will keep looking for a new recipe.
I followed directions exactly. No substitutions. Baked for exact time and when I went to take them out of the oven they were definitely not cooked, nor were they browned on top like most muffins would be. Kept in the oven, 5 more minutes, then 5 more and finally tops got a little color, knife inserted in center came clean, but a very dry muffin now at first bite. It is a new oven in the house we rent, but definitely a cheap model and temps are not consistent based on our oven thermometer. Will toss these. Fingers and toes crossed for Sally’s baking addiction banana bread currently baking now!
Hello, I love this recipe and have made it often. Unfortunately, I don’t have any of the oils you recommend. Can I substitute with additional butter? I only have olive oil and peanut oil in the house.
Hi Leila, the oil is necessary for moist and tender muffin. Using all butter, we’re afraid, would make the muffins a bit dry and even rubbery tasting. You could use the olive oil or peanut oil, but the taste may be slightly different since they are not as neutral-tasting as the other oils recommended. Hope this helps!
Ooo yum!! I am usually scared to add the cinnamon and nutmeg to chocolate based desserts but I said what the heck I should try something new. These are amazing muffins! I worried my batter was too thick but they came out just fine. I also skipped the directions and did all the wets at one time which resulted in my butter clumping because my milk was cold and they still came out great. I made a ton of mistakes but it was all good in the end.
I made these for my colleagues a few days ago and everyone loved them! They were not too sweet and were a good size, plus really easy to make. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi, may I know if there is a substitute for sour cream/yoghurt?
Hi Cheryl, it’s best to use either of those options. However, in a pinch, you could try subbing in mashed banana or unsweetened applesauce.
How would the time and oven temperature differ if using a convection oven?
Hi Carlene, All of the recipes on this site are written for conventional settings. If you do use convection settings for baking, we recommend lowering your temperature by 25 degrees F and keep in mind that things may still take less time to bake.
This is an awesome recipe. Have made it 3 times now within the past two months. I add a mashed banana and bake for a few extra mins to compensate for the moisture. LOVE the sugar in the raw on top, have started doing that with my cookies also, adds a great caramelization on top. All Sally’s recipes are great – your croissants are also a staple in my kitchen! You’re the reason people think I can bake LOL! Thank you!
I want to make these for a Thanksgiving breakfast… I have “sprinkling sugar”. Can this be used for the tops?
Yes, sure can!
Hi Sally, these are the best chocolate chip muffins! My son and I make them a few times each month. We like them with blueberries too. Great with the addition of melted butter. I saw you had a raspberry and chocolate chip version. We might try those next!
I made these this morning and they were wonderful! Thank you for such great recipes with easy to follow directions!
Hi, I love your recipes and have been using your cookies recipes and cupcakes recipes. I tried this muffin recipe using muffin paper cups, without the tray. Ended up with an underbaked centre even though my toothpick test came out clean. The muffins looked done, but after it cooled off, the top part just fell off and I saw that the centre is underbaked. Am I supposed to use a different temperature and timing if I were to use paper muffin cups instead of the baking cupcake tray? Thank you in advance!
Hi Victoria, no need to adjust the oven settings if using muffin liners. Were you sure to reduce the oven temperature after the first 5 minutes? It sounds like the muffins simply needed more time in the oven. You can always try the bounce back test on muffins, quick breads, cakes, etc. Gently poke the top of the baked good with your finger. If it bounces bake, it’s done.
I’m making regular muffins and a snack cake 8×8 or 9×9, what time and temp do you think it should be at?
Hi Krista, For standard size muffins see recipe note #5 for details. For a smaller cake bake it at 350 degrees F the entire time but I’m unsure of the exact bake time needed.
Amazing!! Love them. Will be using this recipe more then once. Thank you.