Chocolate muffins are loaded with chips and chunks. Every chocolate lover will appreciate these rich and indulgent muffins!
Chocolate muffins are similar to our Chocolate Chip Muffins but with DOUBLE the chocolate. Muffins are a great breakfast or after-school snack.
too much chocolate? no way!
I have a love for those giant double chocolate chip muffins you see in the market. Every time we shop, I see them and use every ounce of willpower to not pick them up.
I keep telling myself that I will make my own and then I never seem to get around to it. Well, this past week I finally made them and I am so happy I did.
I definitely went a little overboard with the chocolate flavor, but it certainly made them exactly what I had been hoping for. If you are a chocoholic, these are the muffins for you.
Muffins are perfect for breakfast or a delicious snack and these chocolate ones are the best!
How to make chocolate muffins
This chocolate muffin recipe comes together in no time for a decadent muffin that is practically a dessert! Move over, cupcakes. 😉
PREP. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a 24-cup muffin pan or two 12-cup tins with liners or cooking spray. Set aside.
DRY INGREDIENTS. In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
WET INGREDIENTS. In a separate bowl, combine milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk until incorporated and egg yolks are broken. Fold in chocolate chips.
Fold the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Do not overmix, but make sure you do not have any dry spots.
BAKE. Spoon batter into the prepared tins to fill about three-quarters of the way full. Sprinkle on additional chocolate chips. Bake for 20–22 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Cool in tins for about 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe Tips
Sugar. That’s right, use only ¾ cup of sugar. The sweetness comes from the added chocolate bits. It’s the perfect blend and keeps them from being overly rich.
Dutch process vs regular cocoa powder. Both derive from the same plant and are both unsweetened.
The difference is that they are processed differently and therefore react a little differently in recipes, especially if the recipe calls for baking powder or baking soda. Natural cocoa powder is acidic whereas dutch cocoa, which has been pretreated in an alkaline solution of potassium carbonate, is not.
Because they can react differently in a recipe, I recommend using the powder that has been suggested. In a pinch, use natural cocoa in place of dutch cocoa, but do not use dutch cocoa in place of natural cocoa. If a recipe doesn’t specify, err on the side of using the more common natural cocoa.
Tips for making chocolate muffins.
- Do not overmix: Doing so can result in a dense, dry muffin. Mix wet and dry ingredients separately to avoid overmixing. Then, when the two are added together, stir just enough to incorporate them. This is called the muffin method and yields a tender crumb.
- Don’t overbake: Because ovens seem to bake a little differently it can be easy to overbake the muffins. Check your muffins about 5 minutes to the end. Use a cake tester or toothpick to insert it into the center of the muffin. If it comes out clean or with a few cooked crumbs your muffins are done, otherwise, cook another few minutes.
- Filling tins: When filling the muffin liners, only fill them ⅔-¾ of the way full. Adding more will cause a mushroom muffin top to form.
Storing Muffins
STORE. Since double chocolate muffins store long-term really well I would suggest making a double batch. That way you can enjoy some now and have more to eat later without the hassle of dirty dishes.
- Counter: Place a paper towel on the bottom of an airtight container. Arrange the muffins in a single layer and place another paper towel over the top. The paper towels will absorb excess moisture that would typically leave the muffin tops sticky. Store for 2-3 days.
- Freezer: Flash freeze muffins by arranging them in a single layer on a baking sheet, freezing them for 2-3 hours, then transferring them to an airtight freezer-safe container. Freeze for 2-3 months
To reheat. For a warm muffin, place it in the microwave for 8-10 seconds. If the muffin is frozen, microwave it for 30-45 seconds.
Recipe FAQ
Dutch processed cocoa powder has a more intense chocolate flavor than regular unsweetened cocoa powder. They’re processed slightly different and react differently in recipes. If you don’t have Dutch processed, you can use regular cocoa powder in this recipe.
Assuming you used the correct ingredients listed in the recipe, the most common reason for dry muffins is overbaking them.
The top muffin-making mistakes include overfilling the muffin tin, over-mixing the batter, and over-baking.
For more great muffins, check out:
- Glazed Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- Glazed Donut Muffins
- Orange Muffins
- Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Muffins
- Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Lemon Crumb Muffins
Chocolate Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup Dutch process cocoa powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips plus more for topping
- ½ cup milk chocolate chips plus more for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Prepare a 24-cup muffin tin or two 12-cup tins with liners or cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, combine milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk until incorporated and egg yolks are broken. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Fold the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Do not overmix, but make sure you do not have any dry spots.
- Spoon batter into the prepared tins to fill about three-quarters of the way full. Sprinkle on additional chocolate chips.
- Bake for 20–22 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool in tins for about 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
Baking time. Because each oven seems to bake a little differently, it can be easy to overbake muffins. Check your muffins about 5 minutes before the end of the baking time. Insert a toothpick into the center of a muffin. If it comes out clean, your muffins are done; otherwise, cook for another few minutes.
CHOCOLATE BREAD. Prepare the chocolate muffin batter and spoon it into two well-greased 5-x-9-inch loaf pans. Bake at 350°F for 38–42 minutes. Let cool in the pans before moving to a wire rack.
All I can say is, “oh my gosh!” Pinned!
Thank you Jamie- I hope you make some
Wow Gina- a year of baked goods for breakfast? SO impressed. That’s a big undertaking. These look great!
Thank you Mique – my banana bread recipe (which I make the most) only takes about 5 minutes to throw together & 30 min to bake- if I make 2 batches at a time- it will last them nearly all week. Works out great with minimal work 🙂 (which is key, right?)
These look divine! Its my birthday on Sunday so I think I’ll have to make some of these for myself 😀
Did you end up making these Tash? Happy Birthday to you – hope it was great!
I love anything Gina makes… Looks GREAT!
Oh Desiree- I adore you!!! Thank you.
So incredibly thrilled to be here today- can’t even tell you!!! Thank you Kristyn!!
SOO happy you’re here. These Chocolate Muffins look GRAND!!!
These look so beautiful and delicious! Can’t wait to try them!
Thank you Alicia – I sure hope you do
These look so delicious! I am making these tonight, hiding them from the kids, and eating ALL of them!
How did they turn out Tammi? I often think about hiding things like this- hard to share 🙂
Oh I made them alright. They are AMAZING!! They are moist, chocolatey, decadent, and rich. I sent you an email regarding them (with photo 🙂 ) Look forward to hearing from you. Tammi
Gorgeous & pinned! They’re so dark and rich looking – lovely!
Thank you Averie- definitely the perfect weekend morning treat.
Is the sugar quantity correct? 4 cups flour, 1 1/3 cups cocoa, and only 1 cup of sugar?
Yes Kim- that is correct. The muffin itself isn’t too sweet – the sweetness comes from all the added chocolate bits. It’s the perfect blend & keeps them from being overly rich. (less like a cupcake) This recipe also makes quite a large batch – you can cut the recipe in half too.
Love, love, love these muffins!! I’m a chocoholic!! These are amazing!! Thanks for the recipe!!
These are definitely for you Crystal!!
These look amazing! Yum!
Thank you so much Jamielyn- yum indeed. 🙂
Yummy!!
I can smell the chocolate from here…
Thank you- they really are a chocolate lovers dream.
I love the idea of cutting processed foods out of breakfast. We eat cereal way too often – I need to follow your example! Starting with these muffins!!
These look Ahhhh-mazing! Do you have to use “dutch process” cocoa?
I was so excited and made these last night. After letting them cool, I placed them in a Tupperware for the evening and they are completely dry this morning. Any advice?
Hi! Thanks for sharing this recipe. I was looking for a chocolate muffin which uses oil, not butter (since muffins with butter tends to harden once refrigerated, and I wanted a soft muffin even after refrigeration), and thought I’d give this a try upon seeing it. It definitely wasn’t as ‘sweet’ as I wished it to be, probably because I used couverture chocolate for the ‘chunks’ and was expecting a really sweet type of muffin (almost like a cupcake but without the frosting), but I think I’d definitely recommend this recipe to those who are looking after a chocolaty breakfast meal.
P.S. I halved the portions and yielded 12 muffins.
I made these today and only cooked them for 20 minutes. They were completely dry when they came out. I baked the 2nd half of the batch for only 17 minutes and they were much better. I wish I had thought to check the first batch as my gut told me that 20 minutes at 400 was way to long.
I’m glad the 2nd batch came out! It’s so hard to know, when all ovens are different and times may vary. Hope you enjoyed them!! Thanks for letting me know!
I’ve decided I need to surprise my Mother-In-Law with these. She will LOVE them!
I love muffins! These look so good they could be desssert 🙂
These are amazing! MY girls loved them for breakfast, and I loved them as a late-night snack!
These were so delicious! we’ll be making them again soon!
What a great way to start my day! These will pair perfectly with my morning cup of coffee! Delish!
How could you not love these!! Soft, chocolatey, easy, & so good! I am all about chocolate & these definitely fill the need for chocolate!
ThesE muffins look amazing!
CHOCOLATE muffin? Yes Please! I alWays appreciate the tips You pRovide for your RECIPES. .
YOU had me at Chocolate!!! Then you added more chocolate!! WOW! These are AMAZING!! Thanks for the recipe!
I halved the recipe and it made 8 jumbo muffins. Used Ghirardelli brand cocoa powder and the Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips. I substituted the chocolate chunks with Ghirardelli 60% cacao chocolate chips. Baked at 400 degrees on the convection setting at 15 mins. These are great! Taste like eating chocolate cake for breakfast. Thanks for sharing this quick, easy, and delicious recipe!
Mmmm can’t go wrong with Ghiradelli! Sounds delicious. I’m so glad that you enjoyed the muffins!! Thanks for sharing.