The Ultimate Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Muffins: Tall, Fluffy, and Irresistibly Delicious
Updated 28.10.24
There’s something incredibly comforting and satisfying about a warm, freshly baked chocolate chip muffin. But not just any muffin – we’re talking about those glorious, tall, and fluffy bakery-style muffins with an irresistible domed top, generously studded with melted chocolate chips. This recipe delivers exactly that: a batch of perfectly soft and tender muffins that taste like they came straight from your favorite local bakery, but are surprisingly quick and easy to make right in your own kitchen. Prepare for these to become an instant family favorite!
These bakery-style chocolate chip muffins are an absolute delight! Forget dry, crumbly muffins; this recipe focuses on achieving that coveted moist, buttery crumb and an abundance of rich chocolate flavor, all crowned with that signature perfect muffin top. The best part? This chocolate chip muffin recipe is incredibly straightforward, requiring minimal effort and no fancy equipment. Just a few simple ingredients and a whisk are all you need to whip up a batch of these heavenly treats in no time.
For more delicious breakfast or brunch recipes to brighten your mornings, make sure to try our Nutella Banana Muffins, decadent Brioche Cinnamon Rolls, or the perfectly portioned Small Batch Cinnamon Rolls. Each one is designed to bring that special bakery experience home!
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Achieving Bakery Perfection at Home
This recipe stands out for several key reasons, ensuring your homemade chocolate chip muffins are every bit as good, if not better, than those from a professional bakery. We’ve fine-tuned the steps and ingredients to guarantee consistently delicious results every single time.
- Super Soft & Fluffy Texture: Our recipe utilizes a combination of buttermilk or sour cream and melted butter, along with a precise mixing method, to create muffins that are incredibly moist, tender, and light. The acidity in the sour cream activates the baking powder, contributing to their impressive rise and airy crumb, while the fat keeps them from drying out. You’ll achieve those coveted tall, fluffy domes without a dry interior.
- Bursting with Chocolate Chips: These muffins are not shy on chocolate! We use a generous amount of mini semi-sweet chocolate chips throughout the batter, ensuring every bite is packed with gooey, melty goodness. Plus, a sprinkle of extra chips on top before baking creates that classic, appealing bakery look.
- No Mixer Needed (Effortless Baking): One of the best features of this recipe is its simplicity. You won’t need a stand mixer or even an electric hand mixer. All the mixing is done by hand with just a whisk and a spatula, making cleanup a breeze and proving that exceptional baking doesn’t require complicated equipment. This “muffin method” ensures you don’t overmix the batter, which is key to tender muffins.
- The Perfect Muffin Top: We employ a special technique involving high initial baking temperature and a unique pan preparation method (lining every other cup) to encourage those signature, beautiful muffin tops that rise high above the tin, giving them that true bakery aesthetic and delightful crust.
ESSENTIAL INGREDIENT NOTES: Tips for Optimal Results
While this recipe uses common pantry staples, paying attention to the details of each ingredient can significantly impact the final texture and flavor of your bakery-style chocolate chip muffins. For a full, precise list of all ingredients and their quantities, please refer to the detailed recipe card provided below.
- Chocolate Chips: For the best results, we highly recommend using mini semi-sweet chocolate chips. Their smaller size ensures they are evenly distributed throughout the muffins, leading to chocolate in every bite without weighing down the batter. Semi-sweet offers a balanced chocolate flavor that complements the sweet muffin base. You can experiment with milk chocolate or dark chocolate chips if you prefer, but mini chips are key for distribution.
- Butter: This recipe calls for melted butter, which contributes to a rich, buttery flavor and a tender crumb. It’s crucial to melt the butter first and then set it aside to cool slightly while you prepare the other ingredients. Adding hot butter to the wet ingredients, especially the egg, could scramble it, affecting the batter’s consistency. Cooled melted butter incorporates smoothly.
- Sour Cream: Sour cream is a secret weapon for incredibly moist and tender muffins with a slight tang that enhances the flavor. It adds richness and helps create that fluffy texture. Ensure your sour cream is at room temperature (take it out about an hour before baking). Room temperature dairy products mix more easily and create a smoother, more uniform batter. If sour cream isn’t available, full-fat plain Greek yogurt is an excellent substitute, offering similar benefits in terms of moisture and acidity.
- Whole Milk: Like sour cream, using whole milk at room temperature is important for optimal blending with other ingredients. Room temperature milk creates a smoother emulsion with the other liquids, leading to a more consistent batter and better rise. Whole milk provides richness and moisture that lower-fat milks might not.
- All-Purpose Flour, Granulated Sugar, Baking Powder, Salt: These are the fundamental dry ingredients. Ensure your baking powder is fresh for maximum leavening power. Sifting the flour and leavening agents helps prevent lumps and ensures an airy texture.
- Large Egg: An egg acts as a binder, adds richness, and contributes to the structure and moisture of the muffins. Using a room temperature egg also aids in creating a smooth, emulsified batter.
- Vegetable Oil: A touch of vegetable oil ensures the muffins remain moist and tender for longer, even after a day or two. It adds moisture without adding extra flavor, letting the chocolate and butter shine.
- Vanilla Extract: Pure vanilla extract is essential for enhancing all the other flavors in the muffins, adding a warm, aromatic depth that completes the profile.
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS: Crafting Your Perfect Chocolate Chip Muffins
Creating these delicious bakery-style chocolate chip muffins is a simple and rewarding process. As mentioned, you won’t need any electric mixers – just a couple of bowls, a whisk, and a spatula are all the tools required. Follow these steps carefully to achieve tall, fluffy, and perfectly baked muffins every time.
The complete and detailed recipe, including precise measurements and quantities, can be found below in the dedicated recipe card.
STEP 1: Prepare Your Dry Ingredients & Melt Butter. Begin by melting your butter (40g) and setting it aside to cool slightly. It needs to be warm enough to be liquid but not hot, so it doesn’t cook the egg later. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour (160g), granulated sugar (100g), baking powder (1 ½ tsp), and salt (¼ tsp). Sifting ensures there are no lumps and helps aerate the flour, leading to a lighter muffin. Once sifted, add 85g of mini chocolate chips to the dry ingredients and stir them gently until they are evenly coated. This initial coating helps prevent the chocolate chips from sinking to the bottom of your muffins during baking.
STEP 2: Combine Wet Ingredients & Rest the Batter. In a separate medium bowl, combine your wet ingredients: the room temperature sour cream (50g), room temperature whole milk (100g), large egg (1), vegetable oil (2 tbsp), vanilla extract (1 tsp), and your cooled melted butter. Whisk these ingredients together until they are just combined and smooth. Now, pour the wet ingredient mixture into the large bowl with your dry ingredients. Using a hand whisk or a rubber spatula, gently fold the wet into the dry. The key here is to mix until *just* combined. The batter will be thick and appear somewhat lumpy or “shaggy.” Do not overmix! Overmixing develops gluten, resulting in tough, chewy muffins instead of light, tender ones. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and let the batter rest at room temperature for at least 1 hour. This resting period is crucial for hydrating the flour, relaxing the gluten, and allowing the baking powder to activate properly, which contributes significantly to those tall, domed muffin tops.
While your muffin batter is resting, it’s the perfect time to prepare your oven and muffin tin. Preheat your oven to a high temperature of 220ºC/425ºF (conventional oven setting). This initial high heat creates an “oven spring” effect, which helps the muffins rise rapidly and develop those signature tall, domed tops. Prepare a standard 12-cup cupcake pan by lining only every other cupcake hole with paper liners. This strategic spacing allows for better heat circulation around each muffin, further promoting a beautiful dome. Additionally, lightly grease the exposed metal edges around the top of the cupcake holes; this helps prevent the muffin tops from sticking and ensures they release easily once baked.
STEP 3: Fill, Top & Bake with Two Temperatures. Once the batter has rested, retrieve it from the counter. Using a large ice cream scoop, carefully divide the thick muffin batter evenly into the 6 prepared cupcake liners. Fill each liner nearly to the top – don’t be shy! This generous filling also contributes to that iconic bakery-style muffin top. Be gentle as you scoop and avoid stirring the batter too much, as you don’t want to deflate the air bubbles built during the rest. For an extra touch of bakery appeal, sprinkle a generous amount of additional mini chocolate chips (40g) and 1-2 teaspoons of cane sugar on top of each filled muffin cup. The cane sugar adds a lovely sparkle and a slight crunch to the muffin tops. Place the pan into your preheated oven and bake at 220ºC/425ºF for exactly 7 minutes. After this initial high-heat bake, reduce the oven temperature to 175ºC/350ºF (without opening the oven door if possible, or quickly if you must) and continue baking for another 10-12 minutes, or until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with no wet batter. The two-temperature method is key for a great rise and even bake.
STEP 4: Cool and Enjoy. Once baked to perfection, carefully remove the muffin pan from the oven. Let the muffins cool in the hot pan on a wire rack for about 5 minutes. This brief cooling period in the pan helps them set without collapsing. After 5 minutes, gently remove the muffins from the pan and transfer them directly to the wire rack to cool down further. You might need to use a small offset spatula or a butter knife to gently loosen them from the pan if they’ve risen significantly. Allow them to cool for an additional 10-15 minutes before indulging. While they are delicious at room temperature, these bakery-style chocolate chip muffins are truly at their best when enjoyed slightly warm, allowing the chocolate to remain perfectly gooey and melted.
EXPERT BAKING TIPS: Mastering Your Muffin Game
To truly elevate your chocolate chip muffins from good to extraordinary, keep these professional baking tips in mind. These small adjustments can make a big difference in achieving consistently perfect results, just like those from your favorite bakery.
- Use a Kitchen Scale for Precision: Baking is a science, and precision is paramount. While cup measurements are provided, measuring ingredients by weight (grams) is far more accurate. My recipes are often developed using grams, so I highly recommend investing in a good kitchen scale. It eliminates inconsistencies from packing flour too tightly or loosely, ensuring your batter has the correct ratio of ingredients for optimal texture.
- Do NOT Overmix Your Batter: This is perhaps the most critical rule for tender muffins. Once you’ve combined the wet and dry ingredients, mix only until the flour streaks have *just* disappeared. A few lumps are perfectly fine and even desirable! Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, leading to tough, rubbery muffins. I always finish with a gentle fold using a rubber spatula to ensure all ingredients from the bottom of the bowl are incorporated without overworking the batter.
- Understand Your Baking Pans (Light vs. Dark): The type of baking pan you use significantly affects the outcome. For the absolute best results with muffins and cakes, opt for a light-colored aluminum baking pan. Aluminum pans are light in color and reflect heat, allowing for more gentle and even baking. This results in a softer, golden crust and a moist interior. In contrast, dark-colored baking pans absorb more heat, leading to a darker, crispier crust that can sometimes result in a drier muffin if not monitored carefully. If using a dark pan, you might need to reduce the oven temperature by 25°F (about 15°C) and adjust baking time to prevent over-browning.
- Room Temperature Ingredients are Key: This tip is repeated for a reason! Ensuring your dairy (sour cream, milk) and eggs are at room temperature allows them to emulsify better with the melted butter and oil. This creates a smoother, more uniform batter that holds air better, leading to a lighter, more consistent crumb and a better rise. Take them out of the fridge about an hour before you plan to bake.
- The Power of the Batter Rest: Don’t skip the 1-hour resting period for the batter! This step allows the flour to fully hydrate and the gluten to relax. It also gives the baking powder a head start, contributing significantly to those impressive, domed muffin tops and an incredibly tender crumb. It’s a simple step that yields professional-level results.
- Fill Muffin Cups Generously: For those desirable large, domed muffin tops, fill your muffin liners almost to the very top. When combined with the high initial baking temperature and the resting period, this ensures your muffins have plenty of batter to push upwards, creating that signature bakery look.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS
Here are some common questions and helpful answers to ensure your chocolate chip muffin baking experience is a success!
The best way to check for doneness is by using a cake tester or a simple toothpick. Once the specified baking time has passed, gently insert the cake tester or toothpick into the center of one of the muffins. If it comes out clean, with no wet batter clinging to it, then your muffins are perfectly baked and ready to be removed from the oven. You should also look for a beautiful golden-brown color on the tops.
While these muffins are absolutely at their peak deliciousness when enjoyed fresh and warm from the oven, they can certainly be made a day ahead. They will still be wonderfully soft and flavorful. Just follow the storage instructions below to keep them fresh. Luckily, they are so quick to make that baking them on the same day is often very manageable!
Yes, absolutely! This recipe scales up beautifully. You can easily double or even triple the ingredients to make a larger batch for a crowd, meal prep, or simply to have extra on hand. Just be sure to use a larger bowl for mixing and ensure all ingredients are scaled proportionally. The baking time might need a minor adjustment for larger batches if you’re baking multiple pans at once, but generally, the individual muffin bake time remains consistent. See the recipe card below for easy serving adjustments.
There are a few common culprits. Firstly, ensure your baking powder is fresh – it loses potency over time. Secondly, do not overmix the batter; overmixing develops gluten and leads to tough, flat muffins. Thirdly, make sure your oven temperature is accurate; an oven that isn’t hot enough won’t give the muffins the initial “oven spring” they need. Finally, ensure your batter had its resting period, as this significantly contributes to a good rise. Also, avoid opening the oven door too frequently during the initial baking phase.
If you don’t have sour cream, full-fat plain Greek yogurt is an excellent 1:1 substitute, offering similar acidity and richness. You can also make a quick buttermilk substitute by adding 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to 100g of whole milk, letting it sit for 5-10 minutes until it slightly curdles, then using it in the recipe. This will provide the necessary acidity for a tender crumb.
STORAGE: Keeping Your Muffins Fresh
These Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Muffins are undoubtedly best enjoyed warm, ideally on the day they are baked, when the chocolate is still melty and the tops are slightly crisp. However, if you have any leftovers (a rare occurrence!), they store wonderfully and can be enjoyed for a few days.
To keep your muffins fresh, allow them to cool completely before storing. Place them in an airtight container at room temperature on your kitchen counter. They will remain soft and delicious for 1-2 days. For longer storage, you can refrigerate them for up to 4-5 days, though refrigeration can sometimes alter the texture slightly. To re-soften refrigerated muffins, a quick zap in the microwave for 15-20 seconds or a few minutes in a warm oven will bring them back to life.
For even longer enjoyment, these muffins freeze exceptionally well! Once completely cooled, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid (about 1-2 hours). Then transfer the frozen muffins to a freezer-safe bag or airtight container. They can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. To enjoy, simply thaw them at room temperature or warm them gently in the microwave or oven until heated through.
Other Delicious Breakfast Recipes To Try
Looking for more delightful treats to kickstart your day or satisfy a sweet craving? Explore these other fantastic breakfast and dessert ideas:
- 25 Best Summer Dessert Ideas
- 20 Best Easter Dessert Ideas
- Blueberry Coffee Cake
- Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
We hope you adore these bakery-style chocolate chip muffins as much as we do! If you loved this recipe, please make sure to leave a STAR REVIEW below and share your experience. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @juliemarieeats so I can see your beautiful creations. For even more culinary inspiration and delicious recipe ideas, be sure to follow me on Pinterest!
Best Chocolate Chip Muffins
Pin Recipe
Equipment
- 12-cup cupcake pan
Ingredients
CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS
- 40 g butter melted and cooled for 5 minutes
- 160 g all-purpose flour
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 85 g mini chocolate chips
- 50 g sour cream or full-fat greek yoghourt room temperature
- 100 g whole milk room temperature
- 1 large eggs
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 40 g mini chocolate chips for sprinkling on top
- 1-2 teaspoon cane sugar for topping the muffins
Instructions
CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS
- Start by melting the butter, so it can cool down while preparing the rest of the ingredients.40 g butter
- In a bowl, sift the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the mini chocolate chips and stir it all together.160 g all-purpose flour, 100 g granulated sugar, 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, 85 g mini chocolate chips
- In another mixing bowl add the sour cream, milk, egg, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and melted butter. With a hand whisk, mix it together until combined.50 g sour cream or full-fat greek yoghourt, 100 g whole milk, 1 large eggs, 2 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently stir it together with a hand whisk or rubber spatula.
- Cover the bowl with some plastic wrap and let the batter rest for 1 hour.
- While the batter rests, preheat the oven to 220ºC/425ºF conventional oven. Prepare a 12-cup cupcake pan with 6 cupcake liners, only lining every other cupcake hole, as it helps them to dome up. Grease around the edge of the cupcake holes, for the muffins to release easily.
- Using a large ice cream scoop, divide the muffin batter into the 6 cupcake liners, so each cupcake holder is filled to the top. Be careful not to deflate the batter, so try not to mix it around it too much. Top the muffins with lots of mini chocolate chips and cane sugar and bake them for 7 minutes and then reduce the heat to 175ºC/350ºF and further bake for 10-12 minutes.40 g mini chocolate chips, 1-2 teaspoon cane sugar
- Let the muffins cool in the hot pan on a wire rack. After 5 minutes, gently remove the muffins from the pan. You might need to use a knife to help release the muffins from the pan. Let them cool down additionally for 10-15 minutes before eating! They are best enjoyed warm.