These double chocolate muffins have been our favorite chocolate muffin recipe for over a decade. I love them so much that I published the easy recipe in my 1st cookbook back in 2014! (We now add even more chocolate chips and a touch of vanilla for extra flavor, as you’ll see in the recipe below.) The muffins are incredibly rich, mega chocolate-y, and loaded with chocolate chips in every single bite. Sour cream helps guarantee a soft and moist muffin that has a denser texture than chocolate cupcakes.
Not pointing fingers or anything but chocolate sweet rolls, you’re kind of high maintenance for the morning. (Worth the hype and effort for sure though.) Here’s something easier that satisfies your chocolate craving and doesn’t require a ton of effort, time, or patience. Ha!
One reader, Teck, commented: “It’s truly a superb recipe. Moist and full of flavor. Easy to follow. Voted the best muffin by my family. ★★★★★”
Another reader, Paulina, commented: “They turned out just perfect and looked so good, you’d think I bought them. This will definitely be my go-to chocolate muffin recipe from now on! ★★★★★”
Double Chocolate Muffins Details
- Flavor: Chocolate. Seriously, that’s all you really need to know! This chocolate muffin recipe comes together with cocoa powder and chocolate chips. In recent years, I began adding vanilla extract to the batter for a touch of extra flavor. You can certainly leave it out if you’d like (and as mentioned above, the cookbook recipe doesn’t include it).
- Texture: Unlike chocolate cupcakes and chocolate cake, these muffins don’t really have a sponge-like texture. And that’s mostly because we aren’t adding hot water to the batter. They’re more like a bakery-style muffin with a tighter crumb and satisfying bite.
- Ease: Besides the deep chocolate flavor, what you’ll love most about this double chocolate chip muffin recipe is its ease. The recipe uses common baking ingredients, doesn’t require a mixer, and is super straightforward like this pumpkin muffins recipe—2 cups of this, 1 cup of that, and whole eggs. (No separating needed.)
Key Ingredients in Double Chocolate Muffins
The full written recipe is below, but let’s walk through some key ingredients so you understand their importance. This is always helpful when looking for substitution options.
- Cocoa Powder: Use unsweetened natural cocoa powder. You could get away use dutch process cocoa powder, but the muffins may not rise as much. For best taste and texture, stick with natural. Most of the flavor comes from the cocoa powder, so choose a good one! I’ve baked with many over the years and I always go back to Hershey’s.
- Sour Cream: If you were to skip the sour cream and replace it with milk, the chocolate muffins would be thin, flat, and wet. Just like it does in chocolate covered strawberry muffins, sour cream lifts the crumb and keeps the muffins moist. You can replace it with plain yogurt and I often do—in fact, that’s how the recipe is written in the book!
- Oil: We usually use creamed butter and sugar in muffin recipes like blueberry muffins. However, cocoa powder is a very drying ingredient so it’s best paired with oil to keep the muffins moist. If you replace it with melted butter, the muffins will dry out. You won’t miss the flavor of butter because chocolate overpowers it.
By the way, if you enjoy banana + chocolate together, you’ll love these chocolate banana muffins—they’re whole wheat, too!
Expect a thick and sticky batter.
Avoid Overmixing & Use Room Temperature Ingredients
Really all you’re doing here is whisking the dry ingredients together in one bowl and the wet ingredients together in another bowl. The dry ingredients include the sugar and chocolate chips. This way you’re only mixing the ingredients together once—dry + wet instead of dry + wet + mixing in the chocolate chips. Make sense?
- The reason why you’ll mix the chocolate chips into the dry ingredients is to avoid over-mixing the final batter. Over-mixing muffin batter can lead to a tough, dense baked good. While these chocolate muffins are certainly denser than our soft and spongy chocolate cupcakes, they aren’t heavy as bricks.
- What will also help you avoid overmixing is using room temperature ingredients. Bring the eggs, milk, and sour cream to room temperature before starting. As a shortcut, place the eggs in a glass of warm water for 10 minutes and—honestly this is what I do—microwave the sour cream and milk for 10-15 seconds to take the chill off.
Tip: You won’t regret eating one warm out of the oven. Those melty chips!
Double Chocolate Muffins Recipe Video
Double Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 21 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes (includes slight cooling)
- Yield: 12-14 muffins
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These double chocolate muffins are incredibly rich, mega chocolate-y, and loaded with chocolate chips in every single bite. Sour cream helps guarantee a soft and moist muffin that has a denser texture than chocolate cupcakes.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (41g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 3/4 cups (315g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (185g) full fat sour cream or plain yogurt, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil*
- 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or use cupcake liners. This recipe yields about 14 muffins, so prepare a second muffin pan in the same manner or bake in batches and reserve leftover batter at room temperature for when the first batch is done.
- Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Whisk the eggs, sour cream, oil, milk, and vanilla extract together until combined. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and fold together with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon until completely combined. (Batter is quite thick, so I recommend a spatula or spoon over a whisk.) Avoid overmixing. The batter will be thick and sticky.
- Spoon the batter into liners, filling them all the way to the top. Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 15-16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 20-21 minutes, give or take. (For mini muffins, bake 13-14 total minutes at 350°F (177°C) the whole time.)
- Cool muffins for 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack until ready to eat.
- Cover leftover muffins and store at room temperature for 5 days or in the refrigerator for 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: For longer storage, freeze the muffins for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then heat up in the microwave if desired.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Wooden Spoon or Silicone Spatula | Cooling Rack
- Jumbo Muffins: If you’d like to make about 6 jumbo muffins instead of standard size, follow the recipe through step 3 using a greased jumbo 6-count muffin pan. Spoon batter into the liners, filling all the way to the top. Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 25-28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Sour Cream: Use full fat sour cream. In a pinch, you can replace it with plain yogurt. (Full fat Greek style or regular yogurt would be best.)
- Oil: For best taste and texture, use vegetable oil. In a pinch, you can replace with canola oil or olive oil. The muffins can taste greasy with melted coconut oil, but if you try it, it’s imperative the other ingredients are room temperature so the coconut oil doesn’t solidify as you mix the batter together.
- Milk: Whole milk is best. 2%, 1%, or nondairy milk work in a pinch. Do not use nonfat milk. Don’t use buttermilk. (You could use buttermilk if replacing both the sour cream AND milk, but the muffins taste a little spongy that way. Best to use sour cream and whole milk.)
- Recipe excerpted from Sally’s Baking Addiction. This version includes more chocolate chips and the addition of vanilla extract for a little extra flavor. The cookbook version also uses plain yogurt, but you can use sour cream as noted here.
Reader Comments and Reviews
not too sweet, chocolatey-amazing. they came out with a crackly top! 🙂
I experimented today with this recipe, using Bob’s Red Mill 1 for 1 flour to share with a celiac friend. They came out a bit dryer than when I bake the same recipe with all purpose flour. I was thinking it might help if I added an extra egg. What would you suggest, I’d love them to taste as wonderful as the regular flour recipe tastes.
Hi Ele, we haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flour, so we’re unsure what adjustments would need to be made to produce an equally moist muffin. You can certainly try adding another egg. Let us know how it goes!
I feel like I just won a gold metal with the way these muffins came out. They were absolutely perfect!
I was out of a few of the ingredients so I substituted pastry flour, plain Greek yogurt, Earths Own unsweetened oat milk, a mix of semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips, with a splash of butterscotch chips, and my brain completely forgot the vanilla.
Otherwise, I followed the instructions exactly and they rose beautifully and the taste was decadent, light, and fluffy!
(P.S. ~ Thank you for giving substitutions, it really helps those of us tight on funds and trying to use everything in the fridge/pantry)
Sooo good! These came out with perfect taste and texture. I used olive oil and 2% milk as that’s what I had. I also halved the chocolate chips and it was enough for me. Thank you for this recipe!!
Hi Sally,
These are the best muffins ever!
I can over indulge when I bake these- so are they okay to freeze?
Absolutely! See the recipe notes for freezing instructions!
I have never used sour cream for baking. Wasn’t sure if it was considered a wet or dry ingredient. So l went with wet, l used way too much…had to bake them for longer than l care to admit for them to be somewhat cooked. But the results were still wonderful. Nothing but good.
I was very disappointed by these muffins. I followed the directions exactly. I didn’t substitute, except for lactose free sour cream & lactose free milk. These muffins were extremely dry. The dryness affected our enjoyment. I felt it was a waste of time & money. I may try baking at just 350 for the recommended time. Unless you have another suggestion. I really wanted to LOVE these.
Hi there! Anytime I reduce the temperature in my oven, it won’t come down right away. It takes forever, so would I just cook them for a shorter period of time??
THANK YOU
Hi Heather, it is typical for the oven to cool slowly. Just keep an eye on them as they bake!
Can I swap melted butter for the oil?
Hi Kortney, it’s best to stick to oil for this recipe. Butter will yield dry-tasting muffins.
These muffins are INCREDIBLE. My coworker gave me the recipe and I had to make them (have never made muffins before). These were so easy and came out looking great with awesome poofy tops. I subbed in 2% Greek yogurt, olive oil, and oat milk in for the sour cream, vegetable oil, and whole milk and they still came out perfect! I also used a bit less than the full cup of sugar. They are soooo rich and fudgey. Perfect heated up with a cup of tea or coffee.
The kids and the grown-ups all loved these. We made the mini option. Sub’d coconut oil for the vegetable oil. Easy to follow recipe and simple ingredients we already had in the pantry. Would make again. Thanks!
Sally, your my “go to” page when I need refresher on a recipe! Thank you so much for all of your contributions!
Hi. Can I make these into 6 jumbo muffins? If so, how long would I cook them for?
Thank you so much!
Hi Kim! Instructions for making these in a jumbo muffin pan are in the Notes section of the recipe: Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 25-28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time jumbo muffins would take is 30-33 minutes.
I don’t know how I missed that! Thank you SO much!
Double chocolate muffins recipe is absolutely incredible. It made ten jumbo muffins & I made chocolate buttercream for the tops! Very easy recipe & oh so delicious! Thank you, Sally!
Can I use whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour?
Hi Alina, You can certainly give it a try, but the muffins will be dense and heavy with the whole wheat flour. We don’t recommend doing any more than 1/2 whole wheat, 1/2 all-purpose. You may also love these healthier banana chocolate muffins!
Hi sally. The recipe looks so good ! Im eating the batter as we speak. I have a question tho, when i reduce the temperature to 180’c, it wont come down straight away to 180; its still at 200 and the time is almost up! I really hope it wont come out runny. Thanks!
Hi, these muffins look amazing, can’t wait to try. Could I change the chocolate chips to chunks of chocolate? Or does the chocolate have to be specific for cooking?
Hi Naj, you can use chocolate chunks!
Very delicious, soft, fluffy and chocolatey! Would recommend and will make again 🙂
is greek yogurt ok?
love you’re recipes
Should be fine, Maria.
Sally, is it possible to use this recipe but alter it to make them Mexican chocolate muffins? Do you know what I should add to try this? Maybe a specific type of chili powder?
Hi Abby, we haven’t experimented with anything to be able to offer any advice here, but we’d love to know how they turn out if you give it a try!
Best Chocolate chip muffins. My family’s Favourite.
Can I use Avocado oil in this recipe?
Hi Karin, you can use avocado oil in place of the vegetable oil in this recipe. Taste may be slightly different.
hi sally! thank you for the recipe! ^^ this is my first attempt to bake double chocolate muffins and i have question. how long should i preheat my oven?
Hi Aisyah, you can just preheat the oven until it reaches 425°F (218°C). Hope you enjoy the muffins!
Hiii sally everything you make is soo delicious like whenever I crave food I go to Sallys baking addiction. Even though I’m only 11 your details and guidance is really helpful thank you so much
Our favourite. They are so delicious
Really lovely, foolproof recipe! I’m writing this review in 2025, I just had to write one as I’m so pleased how the choc muffins turned out. I’m not a baker at all, my repertoire consists of banana bread but now I can add this choc muffin to it. I made this gluten free with lactose-free milk and turned out really yummy! I also didn’t have enough all-purpose flour so mixed with self-raising, the result is a fluffier muffin but still delicious. 5-stars! ❤️
Can I use gluten free flour for any of your muffin recipes?
Hi Elizabeth, we haven’t tested our muffin recipes with gluten free flours, but many readers have reported success using 1:1 flour substitutes (like Cup4Cup). If you try it, let us know how it goes!
Wow, best muffin yet! Soft, fluffy and delish. Only change I made was cutting up chocolate bar as I ran out of choc chips, just made the middle lovely and gooey thanks from the UK for wonderful recipe (and for adding grams as measurements too!)
Loved your recipe
Gotta save it.
I substituted the sour cream for mayonnaise.
It’s what I had available.
They still came out fantastic.
Thanks
I was excited to make these muffins. What the recipe does not state, however, is that the toothpick will NOT come out clean if you catch one of the chocolate chips. I ended up over-baking them, thinking they were under-done. Nice recipe but disappointed such a vital bit of information was not included.
Do you not think that is obvious information that people should know themselves?
Very good and moist. Well done.
I followed the directions *exactly*, even making a quick trip out for fresh baking soda. I used high quality ingredients and baked according to directions.
I was really disappointed with the outcome. Dry, bland, and definitely not dense or have a rich chocolate flavor. I feel like I wasted an expensive bag of Ghirardelli chocolate chips and I’m probably going to throw out the batch. I’m an experienced baker and can own to my disasters, but I really, really do not what went wrong here other than it’s a basic bland muffin recipe that suits most people’s tastes but not my own.
Hi Jill, the texture you are describing definitely sounds off! These should be very chocolate-y and moist. I wonder if you accidentally skipped an ingredient or step? Or made a substitution? Or perhaps over-baked the muffins?