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These Chocolate Muffins are full of amazing chocolate flavor and loaded with plenty of chocolate chips. Modified from my popular chocolate cupcakes recipe, they are just dense enough to support the chocolate chips in the batter, but remain super moist and tender. With the use of oil, buttermilk and hot water, these muffins stay fresh for days!

What Makes These Chocolate Muffins So Good?
Not all muffins are created equal and a good chocolate muffin can be hard to find. Thereโs a lot of variation out there and with cocoa powder that has a tendency to dry things out, a moist muffin is hard, but so important, to find. I started with my favorite chocolate cupcakes, because thereโs not another out there that is as tender and moist. The key was to make them more muffin-like. What would make them just right? In addition to remaining moist and tender:
- A lovely muffin dome โ Achieved by filling the muffin tins full and adjusting temperature to account for rise.
- Rich chocolate flavor โ Quality cocoa powder that is โbloomedโ by the addition of hot water.
- Stay moist for several days โ The use of vegetable oil and buttermilk give these muffins loads of moisture and tender crumb.
- Adding chocolate chips โ But you donโt have to include them!
- Simple mixing method โ Because muffins donโt need to be complicated.
I achieved all of the above with these muffins and they are so good!
Recipe Ingredients
Hereโs what youโll need to make these out-of-this-world chocolate muffins, as well as a few notes. Remember to scroll to the recipe card below for precise measurements.
- Natural unsweetened cocoa powder โ Use great quality for the best flavor. I usually stick with Hersheyโs. While Dutch-processed cocoa powder can also work, the muffins may not rise quite as much.
- Vegetable oil โ With the dryness the can accompany cocoa powder in muffins, the oil really works best over butter. Melted butter will give you less tender, less moist muffins.
- Buttermilk โ You could use whole milk in a pinch, but I prefer buttermilk. It makes the muffins extra tender and springy. The batter will also be thinner with whole milk, so the muffins wonโt rise quite as high, and the chocolate chips are more likely to sink just a touch. I donโt recommend other milks with less fat.
- Hot water โ Hot coffee will also do the trick. Either way (water of coffee), it must be HOT as the heat helps the cocoa powder bloom to its full flavor potential.
- Chocolate chips โ I used semi-sweet chips, but dark or milk chocolate chips will also work. You can leave them out, if youโd like. You will just get a couple less muffins out of the batter.
How to Make Chocolate Muffins
I love how simple the mixing method for these is! Hereโs a quick look at how itโs done. Be sure to scroll to the recipe card below for more thorough instructions.
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 425ยฐF and prepare a muffin pan with liners.
- Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the wet ingredients. Whisk in the egg, vegetable oil, buttermilk, and vanilla, followed by the hot water.
- Finishing touches. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Bake. Fill each of the muffin liners most of the way and bake for 8 minutes. Turn the temperature down to 350ยฐF and bake for another 9-12 minutes.
- Cool. Cool in the pan for a few minutes before turning the muffins out onto a cooling rack.
How to Get Extra Tall Muffins
Starting the baking process at a higher temperature, then lowering it part-way through baking, contributes to the dome already present in these muffins. For an even taller, more bakery-style dome, like the ones on my Banana Muffins, do these things too:
- Fill to the top. Filling the muffins to the very top so thereโs enough batter for the muffins to rise and overflow, giving you that big top.
- Fill every other cup. Because the muffins will overflow to give you that big top, youโll only want to fill every other muffin in the pan. Otherwise, the muffin tops will run over the sides and into each other.
Avoiding Common Issues
Baking is a science that can be touchy at times, which is why I am here to guide you through some of the common issues people run into when making these chocolate muffins. Here they are (along with their solutions):
Dry or Dense Texture
- Measure your flour carefully โ Too much flour will give you dry, dense muffins. I always use a food scale, but the spoon and level method is the best alternative.
- Donโt over-mix โ Once you add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mix only until everything is incorporated. Mixing past this point will cause the glutens in the flour to over-develop, resulting in tough, over-dense muffins.
- Donโt overbake โ The high temperature (425ยฐF) at the beginning will help the muffins rise for that perfect muffin top. Then, you need to turn it down to 350ยฐF to ensure the centers get a chance to bake before the outsides burn. Turn on your oven light and look for that moment when the muffins are no longer glossy on top and donโt look underbaked, then check them.
Chocolate Chips Sinking to the Bottom
- Buttermilk โ This is best choice for both the perfect texture, and for chocolate chips not to sink. Milks with less fat will be thinner and your chocolate chips can sink. The less fat the milk contains, the more likely they are to sink.
- Under measuring flour โ As mentioned above, measuring flour accurately is super important. Too much gives you dry muffins, and too little can cause your chocolate chips to sink.
How to Store
- Countertop. Once cool, seal the muffins in an airtight container or wrap each in a double layer of plastic wrap. They will keep on the counter for up to 4 days.
- Freezer. Wrap each muffin in a double layer of plastic wrap and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow them to thaw at room temperature before enjoying.
- To reheat. While you can enjoy leftover chocolate muffins at room temperature, they are best warm. Wrap a muffin in aluminum foil and pop it in the oven at 325ยฐF for 5-10 minutes or until warmed to your liking. For a quicker option, you can microwave one for 15-30 seconds.
Chocolate Muffins
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 17 minutes
- Total Time: 32 minutes
- Yield: 10-12 muffins
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These Chocolate Muffins are full of amazing chocolate flavor and loaded with plenty of chocolate chips. They are just dense enough to support the chocolate chips in the batter, but remain super moist and tender. With the use of oil, buttermilk and hot water, these muffins stay fresh for days!
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups (163g) all-purpose flour (measured properly)
- 1 cup (207g) sugar
- 1/2 cup (57g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120ml) hot water
- 1 3/4 cups (298g) chocolate chips, plus 1/3 cup for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425ยฐF. Prepare a muffin pan with liners. Set aside.
- Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
- Add the egg, vegetable oil, buttermilk and vanilla extract and whisk together until well combined, but donโt over mix.
- Add the hot water and whisk together until well combined. Do not overmix.
- Gently stir in the chocolate chips.
- Divide the batter between the muffin liners, filling each one most, but not all, of the way.
- Bake the muffins for 8 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 350ยฐF and bake for another 9-12 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Keep an eye on them in the oven and look for them to no longer be glossy on top.
- Allow to cool for 3-5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Enjoy them while theyโre still a little warm or let them cool completely.
Notes
The number of muffins youโll get depends on how much you fill the muffin tins. If you donโt use the chocolate chips, youโll also get fewer muffins.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 359
- Sugar: 34.1 g
- Sodium: 219.9 mg
- Fat: 18.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 48.2 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 16.6 mg
I have a question, Iโm sorry to sound dumb, but I hate to ruin this recipe before it even gets to the oven if Iโm reading it wrong. Iโm wondering about blooming the cocoa powder. Is there step Iโm missing or does this happen when I add the hot water at the end after all of the other wet ingredients? Wonโt the eggs kind of cook?
You donโt have to post or reply publicly if this is a stupid question, you can just reply to me. ๐
No problem! The hot water helps the cocoa bloom when itโs added. And since the eggs are already mixed in when you add the hot water, they arenโt affected. I hope you enjoy the muffins!
Thank you so much for the reply. I made these this morning and they are amazing! I used a regular sized muffin pan and it made 14 muffins. So I had to put two in a second pan no big problem. I may have added more chocolate chips than I needed. ๐
I see reference to both 425 and 450 degrees. Which is it?
Itโs correct in the recipe (425). There was a mention of 450 in the post, but I fixed it. Thanks for letting me know! Sorry for any confusion.