Chocolate Chip Muffins

Kelley Simmons
August 5, 2021
0 comments

These super soft and tender Chocolate Chip Muffins taste just like the ones you get at the bakery only better! They are soft on the inside and crisp along the edges with a perfectly domed top. It’s the perfect recipe to make for breakfast, dessert, or as a snack!

If you love easy breakfast recipes like this, then you need to try my Sour Cream Coffee Cake Streusel Muffins and my Buttermilk Pancakes!

A chocolate chip muffin cut in half and laying on a white plate. The muffin has a pat of butter on top of one of the halves.

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Before you get started / Kelley’s tips

Start with room temperature ingredients. I always bring my buttermilk and eggs to room temperature, this creates a smoother batter resulting in a lighter tender muffin.
Don’t overmix the batter. When combining the wet and dry ingredients, fold them together gently until just combined. Overmixing can make the muffins dense and tough, and we want them to be light and fluffy!
Use a large cookie scoop. To make uniform muffins, use a cookie scoop to divide the batter into the muffin tin. This makes the process quicker and ensures each muffin is the same size!
Garnish the tops of the muffin batter in the tins with chocolate chips.
Ever wondered how to get tall muffin tops? I start by baking the muffins first at a higher temperature (425°F) for only 5 minutes then reduce the oven temperature to (375°F) and continue to bake for another 12-15 minutes. This helps the muffins bake higher and gives them a domed top just like from the bakery!

Ingredients

Unsalted butter: I love using unsalted butter because it lets me control the amount of salt in my baking. Browning the butter before adding it to the batter gives it a deep, nutty flavor that elevates everything!
Light brown sugar: Adds a nice touch of molasses flavor and helps keep the muffins moist.
Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness and it helps create a nice rise and a slightly crisp top.
Eggs: Helps bind the ingredients together, gives the muffins structure, and adds to the rich, tender texture of the muffins.
Buttermilk: Adds a bit of tang and reacts with the baking soda to create a lighter, fluffier muffin.
Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract is one of my secret weapons in baking. It rounds out the sweetness and gives these muffins a warm, comforting flavor.
All-purpose flour: Provides the structure for the muffins.
Baking soda: Reacts with the buttermilk to give the muffins that lovely lift. It helps them rise and keeps them light and airy.
Baking powder: I like to add a bit of baking powder for an extra boost in the rise. It works alongside the baking soda for a fluffy, soft texture that’s just irresistible.
Salt: A pinch of salt balances out the sweetness and brings out the other flavors in the muffins.
Semi-sweet chocolate chips: I use semi-sweet chocolate chips because they’re not too sweet, letting the muffin’s flavors shine.

How To Make Chocolate Chip Muffins

Preheat the Oven to 425 degrees. Grease a muffin tin with non stick cooking spray.
Brown the Butter: Add butter to a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat. Cook butter stirring continuously until it turns golden brown and smells nutty. This takes about 5-7 minutes. Allow the butter to cool completely.

A whisk stirring browned butter in a sauucepan.

Mix Butter, Sugars and Eggs: Once cooled add the butter to a medium bowl along with both sugars, eggs, milk and vanilla, set aside.
Toss Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl toss together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Dry ingredients for muffins in a white mixing bowl.

Fold the Ingredients: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold just until combined. Do not over mix.
Fold in Chocolate Chips.

Divide the Batter evenly into the prepared muffin tin. Bake for 5 minutes.

Muffin batter divided into a muffin tin.

Bake the Muffins: Lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake for an additional 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out moslty clean. (I like to slightly under bake my muffins to keep them moist.)

Cool the Muffins: Allow them to cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes then remove them from the muffin tin onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Baked muffins studded with chocolate chips in a muffin tin.

Pro Tip: Brown Butter

The melted butter adds extra chewiness and the extra step of browning adds a nice toffee flavor. Simply heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook for about 5-7 minutes swirling the pan occasionally. I recommend using a lighter colored saucepan when browning butter. It makes it easier to tell when the butter has browned.

A white spatula stirring brown butter in a saucepan.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use salted butter instead of unsalted butter?

Yes, you can! But I recommend reducing the amount of salt added to the muffins to compensate for the salt in the butter. The taste may be slightly different, but still delicious!

Can I substitute the buttermilk with regular milk?

While you can substitute regular milk, buttermilk adds a tangy flavor and reacts with the baking soda for extra fluffiness. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make a quick substitute by adding a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to a cup of milk and letting it sit for 5 minutes, until it curdles, before using.

Can I freeze these muffins?

Absolutely! Once they’ve cooled completely, place them in an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze them for up to 3 months. To reheat, just pop them in the microwave for 20-30 seconds or heat them in a 350°F oven for 5-10 minutes.