This chocolate chip muffin recipe has remained a reader favorite since I first published it many years ago. 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.
I originally published this recipe in 2013 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and more success tips.
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.
One reader, Jennifer, commented: “This is the recipe I’ve been looking for! The muffins are light and moist, not too dense or heavy. I think this is the best muffin recipe on Sally’s site! I’ve made both jumbo and regular size muffins… Thank you for this wonderful recipe! ★★★★★”
Another reader, Sabrina, commented: “Me and my family loved this recipe, best muffins I’ve ever made. I wasn’t too sure about the cinnamon at first and was going to skip it, but I did end up adding half of it in the end and they came out perfect. Really loved the kick it gave. ★★★★★”
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, then for about 25 minutes at 350°F. 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°–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.
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) oil (vegetable oil, melted coconut oil or avocado 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.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I made this in a square cake pan. Turned out amazing followed the instructions regarding temp. Came out perfect. I forgot to put sugar on top. But amazing nonetheless. Thank you
It turned out really nice specially next day. I would highly recommend to make them for picnic or camping trip. They hold so well. Love it! Thank you
Hi can I add greek yogourt if I don’t have sour cream or plain yogourt?
Hi Huma, you sure can!
I tried something crazy and followed the recipe (almost) exactly and they turned out perfectly! The only thing is I used little sprinkles instead of the coarse sugar, which made this the perfect treat for my cake-averse six-year-old’s birthday party!
I forgot to add my 5 stars
I make this every week, but instead of muffins I cook it in a large roasting pan then slice it into squares, yummy
Son in law said it’s the best thing he’s ever eaten, grandkids devour them. OK my cheats all of which happened by accident: a full 12 oz bag of chips which is 340 grams. Slightly less flour, 8 tbsp butter (one stick). The rest per recipe.
Very yummy!! If you have a 12pc muffin tray I recommend starting them at 425 for only 3 minutes then down to 350 for the remaining 12-15 minutes ( also added a bit of orange zest for some added flavor )
I made the banana bread muffins and they came out amazing but when I tried this, I was not a fan. I’m not sure where I went wrong, I triple-read the recipe as I went. I even made sure to make sure everything was room temp but they came out so dry and flavorless. I even added the cinnamon (which I could taste and I wasn’t a fan, although my family couldn’t taste anything at all.)
I’m not sure how I went wrong but I would say if this recipe had more flavored and moisture it’d be perfect! Everyone else seems to have gotten it right so I’m curious how I went wrong lol
The bake time was too long.Didn’t like the flavor of the added cinnamon and too many chocolate chips.
Per my 6-year-old, “The muffin mix is very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very good.”
We’re glad they approve, Andrew!
Very good muffs…changed it up a little and made 48 minis…kept first five at 425F and then 22 mins at 350. Turned out perfectly! Did cut butter to three tbsp, but other than that, verbatim from the recipe. Will make again.
Very good muffs…changed it up a little and made 48 minis…kept first five at 425F and then 22 mins at 350. Turned out perfectly! Did cut butter to three tbsp, but other than that, verbatim from the recipe. Will make again.
Hi Sally, thank you for this recipe, your stuff always comes out amazing! I was wondering, do you have any advice for adding some sourdough discard to these? Thanks!!
Hi Mariah, we don’t have any experience baking with sourdough discard. Let us know what you try!
I usually sub sourdough discard for the yogurt or sour cream in a recipe because I can’t do dairy and it’s worked great for me!
I had no sour cream so sub with mayonnaise came out perfect
I feel ehhh about this recipe. Not as sweet as expected, my kid won’t even eat them and I followed this recipe to a T, not sure what went wrong. I enjoy them warm fresh out of the oven but wonder what they’ll be like the next few days. Also I didn’t even cook for as long as recipe stated yet they got a bit overcooked in the first batch, I didn’t make the same mistake on the second.
I agree with the cook time being far too long. I too Changed time and temp on my second batch!
We make this recipe regularly, either as choc chip or blueberry. Toady I baked the entire batter in a ring pan as a cake. We choose to live in a world where a muffin can also identify as a cake 🙂 The only recipe change I make is the 1 cup of milk; I make it 50% milk and 50% buttermilk. And still include the 1/3 cup buttermilk.
Love this recipe. I often make 2 batches separately but would there be y problems just doubling the recipe instead? Would save me time but don’t want to compromise them turning out. Thanks
Hi Michelle, for best results, we recommend making two separate batches rather than doubling. This is a pretty thick batter, and doubling could make it easy to over or under mix.
Hi there I’m making these with salted caramel frosting and a white chocolate plaque on top. Should I reduce the sugar so it’s not that sweet?
Hi Andi! Sugar is used for moisture and texture in baked goods as well as taste. You can certainly try reducing the sugar, but the resulting texture will be different than intended.
Loved loved this recipe. Kids loved how well raised the muffins were and taste wise AMAZING and very right amount of sweetness. I wasn’t able to add yogurt as i didn’t have it but even then it turned out really great.
This is a go-to for me. I change the sugar color depending on the approaching holiday. I use Greek yogurt, instead of sour cream.
What can I substitute the milk and sour cream/yogurt for?
Am I able to freeze the batter and bake the muffins later?
Hi Alyssa, no, we don’t recommend it. The leaveners are activated once the wet and dry ingredients are mixed together, so it’s best to bake the batter shortly thereafter. You can freeze the baked muffins, though.
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe tomorrow. Does anyone know whether I can make the batter/mixture ahead of time and pop it into the fridge overnight? This would save me time tomorrow. Thanks in advance 🙂
Hi Mark, we don’t recommend it. Because the leaveners are activated when wet and dry ingredients are mixed together, it’s best to bake the muffins shortly thereafter. Hope you enjoy the muffins!
I love this recipe! I’ve made the jumbo muffins several times now and they turn out delicious. I use sour cream, but I’m sure yoghurt would also be great. I find I get six jumbos + one regular which isn’t ideal, but that’s alright, I can make it work with a mini loaf pan.
One question I have: I made two batches recently and I’m wondering if you know why the second batch of regular + minis would have such pale tops? The first batch was the jumbos, then the second was regular + minis. Both batters were mixed separately (i.e., I didn’t double everything in one bowl). For the second batch of batter, the regulars were baked first, 425° for 5 minutes then 350° for 15 minutes. I had a few patches of the nice golden tops my jumbos got, but otherwise they were quite pale. The minis were 350° for 13 minutes. The only difference I can think of is I let my melted butter cool a bit longer for the jumbos, but I don’t know if that would have made a difference. Is that just normal for the regular and minis? All pans are a darker non stick (same colour, different brands). Great recipe in any case!
Hi Gina, we’re so glad this recipe is a favorite for you! The coloring of muffins can vary by batch, but it might simply be a case of baking your regulars and mini for a few minutes longer to achieve that golden look. Hope this helps for next time!
I haven’t met one of your recipes that I didn’t like. I omitted the cinnamon because I’m not a fan of chocolate and cinnamon together. Otherwise, I followed it to the letter. Delicious!
To the person who said it was dry, I’m sorry but that had to be a glitch in your kitchen. Oven too hot, maybe they didn’t need to be cooked as long as she recommended. I have actually forgotten an important ingredient in my years of cooking so that’s always a possibility.
These are moist and delectable!
Out of this world!!
So, I am the person who is capable of messing up the simplest of recipes. And I did here. I didn’t read the part about reducing the heat and cooked them at 425 the entire time. OOPS! They came out super tall and a little crispier than I would have liked but overall still absolutely delicious and not as dry as you’d expect from that error. I cannot wait to make them again and do it the correct way really really tasty recipe. I even substituted the oil with applesauce because I tend to do that and they were still moist and tasty. So, you idiot proofed a recipe for an idiot who still messed it up because they still came out amazing and my 5 year old who has hated every muffin ever made except store bought is devouring them.
You’re one of my go to’s when it comes to baking . You have consistently great recipes , but …. LoL why is there always a but? This one the muffins came out pretty dry. And I always follow to the dot, the recipes. I cooked them as ordered. So why would they turn out dry? There’s enough oil and butter and yogurt , full fat milk , everything . I don’t get it . Baked for 20 min after the first 5 minutes on higher temps . I don’t get it .
Hi Lin K, I wonder if there was too much flour? Did you spoon and level or weigh the flour, or scoop it? Thank you for using my recipes!
Absolutely delicious!! Really excellent recipe!!
Just made these and…wow!