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Rich and delicious Chocolate Muffins made with an intense chocolate batter and studded with chocolate chips throughout. These muffins taste incredible and are super easy to make, perfect for breakfast or as a snack!

A close up of a chocolate muffin on a blue plate

If you’re a chocolate chip muffin lover you’ll go crazy for these extra rich chocolate muffins! These muffins are so intensely chocolatey made with natural cocoa powder, vanilla, and packed full of chocolate chips in every bite. This recipe uses really easy and simple ingredients (see my list below for important notes and substitutions) and they keep well for days so you can enjoy them all week long for breakfast or as a snack, I mean who can resist chocolate for breakfast?

See my full recipe tutorial below complete with step by step photos and all the tips you need to make them perfectly, oh, and if you love all kinds of chocolate muffins you’ll want to check out my Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins too!

What you need to make this recipe

An overhead shot of all the ingredients you need to make chocolate muffins

Cocoa powder – made sure to use natural 100% cocoa powder and not dutch-process powder. Dutch-process cocoa powder has been neutralized in an alkaline solution which means it won’t react with the baking powders to give you a good rise.

Chocolate chips – I prefer to use semi-sweet or bitter-sweet chocolate chips for a rich chocolate flavor, use a good quality chocolate for best results.

Sour cream – this adds moisture and creates a tender crumb you can also use greek yogurt or creme fraiche instead.

Oil – oil helps cakes and muffins stay soft and moist, you can use canola oil, vegetable oil, grapeseed oil, or even coconut oil.

Vanilla – I love to add vanilla for flavor and richness but make sure you use extract and not essence for best results.

Salt – salt is important for enhancing the flavors making them extra delicious.

Baking powder and baking soda – you need both to get a good rise.

How to make Chocolate Muffins

Sifting dry ingredients together and mixng wet ingredients together in a bowl

1. Sift the dry ingredients together in a bowl.

2. In a separate bowl mix together the eggs, vanilla, vegetable oil, sour cream, and milk.

Two photos showing how to make chocolate muffins batter

3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry.

4. Fold together until well combined.

Adding chocolate chips to chocolate muffin batter and muffins ready to be baked

5. Fold in the chocolate chips making sure to keep some for topping the muffins.

6. Scoop the batter into muffin liners in a muffin pan and sprinkle over extra chocolate chips. Bake until cooked through.

A close up of baked chocolate muffins in a muffin pan

Pro tips for making this recipe

  • Don’t use an electric mixer or you have a high chance of overmixing the batter resulting in dense muffins. Just use a spatula and mix until everything is just combined.
  • Muffins don’t take long to bake so try not to bake them for longer than instructed. To test that they are ready insert a toothpick into the center of one muffin and if it comes out clean with no wet batter they are ready.
  • Let them cool on a cooling rack before serving or storing.
  • Don’t open the oven door or you risk the muffins deflating!
  • You can easily change up the flavors by adding in orange zest or even peppermint extract for a mint choc version.
  • Feel free to switch the chocolate chips for your favorites you could use white chocolate or butterscotch chips too.

A chocolate muffins cut in half

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did my muffins deflate?

There are two reasons your muffins might deflate, one is opening the oven door too soon. Don’t open the door and let the cold air in until you are ready to check if they are done or they will deflate. You also may have added too much baking powder or baking soda, make sure you use the correct measurements stated in the recipe!

How long do they last?

These chocolate muffins will keep well in an airtight container for up to 3-5 days. There’s no need to refrigerate them just store them at room temperature.

Can I freeze them?

Yes, you can wrap baked chocolate muffins in plastic wrap or foil then store them in the freezer for up to 3 months, thaw them completely before serving. You can also freeze the raw batter in the liners, when you are ready to bake them let them thaw completely then bake as instructed.

If you’ve tried these Chocolate Muffins then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!

Chocolate Muffins Recipe

Author: John Kanell
Servings: 12 muffins
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
A close up of a chocolate muffin
4.96 from 470 votes
Rich, moist double chocolate muffins are loaded with cocoa and chocolate chips and baked with tall bakery-style domes. This easy batter stirs together with no mixer needed.

Ingredients 

  • cups all-purpose flour (210g)
  • cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder (66g)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
  • teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • ¾ cup sour cream room temperature (180g)
  • ½ cup whole milk room temperature (120ml)
  • ½ cup vegetable oil (120ml)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips divided (360g)

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 425ºF and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
  • To a large bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine.
  • In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs, sour cream, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla until well combined.
  • Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold together with a spatula until almost combined with a few streaks of flour remaining throughout the bowl. Add 1 ⅔ cups (300g) of the chocolate chips and stir until evenly distributed.
  • Fill each cupcake well until almost full with batter, and sprinkle with the remaining ⅓ cup (60g) of the chocolate chips.
  • Bake at 425ºF for 6 minutes then reduce the temperature to 350ºF and continue baking for an additional 14-16 minutes or until the centers are set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in pan for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Notes

  • Cool the muffins out of the pan. If you let them stay in the pan until they are fully cooled, they will steam and turn soggy, making the paper wrapper stick or fall apart when you pull it away. Let them cool for 2-3 minutes in the pan, just so they are cooled slightly on the tops, then move them to a wire rack.

Nutrition

Calories: 443kcal Carbohydrates: 50g Protein: 6g Fat: 25g Saturated Fat: 10g Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g Monounsaturated Fat: 7g Trans Fat: 0.1g Cholesterol: 39mg Sodium: 313mg Potassium: 307mg Fiber: 5g Sugar: 29g Vitamin A: 161IU Vitamin C: 0.1mg Calcium: 88mg Iron: 4mg

*Nutrition Disclaimer

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

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