These moist, light, & fluffy bakery style Chocolate Chip Muffins are perfect for impressing overnight guests or just treating yourself. They’ve got sky-high sugared tops, lots of chocolate chips, and the BEST flavor and texture. Recipe includes a how-to video!
(Still) The Best Chocolate Chip Muffin Recipe
When I first shared this recipe back in 2016, a google search for “chocolate chip muffins” generated roughly 1.2 million results. Today you’ll find that number is closer to 64 million. 🤯 Despite the stiff competition, I still firmly believe that I have the BEST chocolate chip muffin recipe out there…yes, better than 64 million other muffin recipes!
What makes these muffins so good? Well for starters, they’re huge–we’re talking jumbo, bakery style chocolate chip muffins! They’re also perfectly soft and fluffy (in contrast to the crisp biscotti I just shared), and of course, they’re chock full of chocolate chips. As a finishing touch, they’re sprinkled with coarse sugar, so not only are the tops slightly crisp, but they’re also kind of glittery. These muffins truly belong in a New York City bakery display, but luckily, you don’t have to plan a trip to NYC to try them.
Like my basic muffin recipe, this recipe uses a technique from The Kitchen Whisperer for nice, tall muffin tops. I use this technique in my banana muffins too, and so many of you have commented to let me know how well it works for you.
Let’s dive right into the details!
What You Need
Besides technique, these muffins use carefully selected ingredients to claim their title as the BEST. Here are a few of the game changers we’ll be using today:
- Butter + oil. I love to use this combination for a flavorful AND moist crumb. Don’t substitute one for the other–we need both!
- An extra egg white. What makes these muffins so light and fluffy? To get that bakery style chocolate chip muffin texture, we’re adding an additional egg white. Both your egg and egg white should be at room temperature for best results.
- Buttermilk. Buttermilk is the secret to moist muffins! These muffins begin their bake at a fairly high temperature, so it’s important that they have the right ingredients to prevent dryness. You could use my buttermilk substitute if you don’t have the real stuff on hand, but real buttermilk adds moisture and thickness that isn’t quite duplicated with a substitute. (And no, you do not need baking soda in this recipe just because we’re using buttermilk).
- Cornstarch. This is my secret ingredient for extra soft, tender muffins. Don’t skip it!
- Chocolate chips. I like to use a blend of mini and regular sized chocolate chips, and I always reserve a few for placing on the muffin tops just before baking.
- Coarse sugar. While you’ll use granulated sugar in the muffins, I recommend sprinkling coarse sugar on the tops. This is optional, but it really elevates the look and texture and makes these truly “bakery style” chocolate chip muffins!
SAM’S TIP: Don’t have jumbo muffin liners? You can make muffin liners out of parchment paper! Not only does this save you a trip to the store, but it also gives you that bakery-style look.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Whisk together the butter and oil and sugar. Add the egg and egg white, plus the vanilla. Stir this until it is very well combined, then add the buttermilk and stir well.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then carefully fold them into the wet ingredients.
- Pause when the ingredients are about halfway mixed and add in the chocolate chips. Continue folding until everything is just combined.
- Cover your bowl with a towel and let the batter rest for 15 minutes or up to one hour while your oven preheats
Resting the batter is optional, but doing so gives us fluffier chocolate chip muffins and taller muffin tops. If you’ve made my buttermilk pancakes, you know I like to allow that batter rest while the pan preheats for the same reason, the batter thickens and the results are fluffier!
Now comes the special technique for chocolate chip muffins that rise higher than any others! You’ll start your oven on a high temperature and then drop the temperature about a third of the way through baking–without opening the door! This little trick makes your muffin tops spring to life without burning (or drying out) your muffin bottoms. Pretty cool, right?
- Once batter has had time to rest, preheat your oven and line your muffin tin.
- Fill your muffin liners with batter, making sure to fill them almost to the top (leave about ⅛ inch)–but don’t let them overflow.
- Sprinkle each muffin with coarse sugar and bake at 425F for 8 minutes. Reduce the oven to 350F (don’t open the door!) and continue baking until they begin to turn golden brown. This can take anywhere from 7-15 minutes, so keep an eye on them!
- Remove the muffins from the pan and let them cool before enjoying.
SAM’S TIP: (Carefully) remove your chocolate chip muffins from the pan within 5-10 minutes of them coming out of the oven. If you leave them in their hot pan, the bottoms may become soggy.
Frequently Asked Questions
We’re using a varying temperature technique here, which plays a big role in helping the muffins rise. But another key step is resting your batter. The longer it rests, the thicker it will be, and thicker batter means taller muffins! I recommend letting your batter rest for at least 15 minutes, but if you can let it sit for about an hour or so, you’ll be rewarded with beautifully tall muffin tops!
Yes! They won’t need to bake as long though, so just keep a close eye on them.
Your chocolate chip muffins will stay fresh when stored in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also freeze them!
If you try these, I’d love it if you commented to let me know how they stack up against the 64 million (and counting) other chocolate chip muffin recipes out there!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter melted and cooled at least 5 minutes
- ¼ cup (60 ml) avocado oil or vegetable oil or canola oil may substitute vegetable oil
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 egg white room temperature preferred
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup buttermilk room temperature preferred
- 1 ¾ cup (220 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 1 cup (175 g) chocolate chips I used a mix of mini and regular sized, but you can use either or a combination
- ⅓ cup (67 g) additional granulated sugar, coarse sugar preferred for topping
Recommended Equipment
- 6-count Jumbo Muffin Tin (see note for making 12 muffins)
Instructions
- Combine butter, oil, and sugar in a large bowl and whisk together.4 Tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter, ¼ cup (60 ml) avocado oil or vegetable oil or canola oil, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- Add egg, egg white, and vanilla extract. Whisk together thoroughly, until all ingredients are well-combined, then stir in buttermilk until combined.1 large egg + 1 egg white, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract, ½ cup buttermilk
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, corn starch, and salt.1 ¾ cup (220 g) all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 2 teaspoons corn starch, ½ teaspoon table salt
- Fold dry ingredients into wet gently, taking care not to overmix. Once about half of the dry ingredients have been incorporated into the batter, add in chocolate chips and continue to fold in to batter until all ingredients are just combined.1 cup (175 g) chocolate chips
- Cover bowl with a dry towel and allow batter to sit while your oven preheats (see note).
- Preheat oven to 425F (215C) and line a 6-count jumbo muffin tin with paper liners.
- Once your oven has preheated (maybe give it a few extra minutes or check your oven thermometer, my oven often says it's reached temperature when it really hasn't yet!), portion batter into prepared muffin tin, filling each tin all the way to the top with batter (without overflowing).
- Sprinkle tops generously with additional sugar and place muffin tin in preheated oven.⅓ cup (67 g) additional granulated sugar, coarse sugar preferred
- Bake on 425F (218C) for 8 minutes and then, without opening the oven door, reduce the oven temperature to 350F (175C) and bake another 15 minutes, or until tops are just beginning to turn golden brown Note: if you are using a standard 12-count muffin tin rather than jumbo-sized, they will not need to bake as long, check your muffins after 7-8 minutes on 350F (177C)).
- Allow muffins to cool in the muffin tin for 5-10 minutes then carefully remove from muffin tin and enjoy!
Notes
Allowing the muffin batter to sit
This step is optional, but it helps the batter thicken and ultimately results in taller muffin tops. Allowing the batter to sit for up to 60 minutes also works and will yield even taller tops.Storing
Store leftover muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Baked muffins may also be cooled and then frozen in an airtight container for several months.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Mimi
Has anyone ever tried to make the muffins in there airfryer??? If So can you share.
Sam
Hi Mimi! I have not tried to make these in the air fryer so I’m not sure how it will work. If you do try it I would love to know how you do it. 🙂
Mimi
Good morning Sam I will probably heat up the air fryer at the 400 degree and then I’ll lower down the temperature once I’m putting the muffins.. I’ll let you know if it works. thanks for responding 😁
Mimi
Good morning sam thank you for responding yes I’ll let you know😁
Kristin
These are the best muffins I’ve ever made! You absolutely nailed this recipe. I will definitely be making these more often. Thank you!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them os much, Kristin! 🙂
LINDA
THE BEST RECIPE!
Thank you!
Kelly
I’ve made these several times and they are amazing! I have been looking through comments and I apologize if I missed this in the instructions, but what would be the cooking time to make these in mini muffin pans?
Sam
Hi Kelly! I haven’t made them mini but I would follow the baking instructions on my cinnamon mini muffins. They should be pretty similar. 🙂
Jordan Johnson
Hello I love this recipe my muffins came out great! How should I store them though?🤔 I don’t want them to dry out too much.
Sam
Hi Jordan! The best way to store them is in an air tight container at room temperature. I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much! 🙂
Batya Preiser
Do you think I can substitute the butter for all canola oil, or will I ruin the texture?
Sam
Hi Batya! You could do this. While the texture won’t be ruined, you will lose some of the flavor from the butter unfortunately.
Anna
Very delicious muffins-and they are so nice and fluffy! I had regular sized muffin tins so after the 425 for 8 minutes I baked it at 350 for about 11 minutes. Thanks for sharing!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed, Anna! Thank you so much for commenting and letting me know how they turned out for you, I appreciate it! 🙂
Carrie
My whole family loved these! My husband actually said it’s the best thing I’ve ever made and I consider myself a pretty decent cook. Thanks for sharing the special tips.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Carrie! 🙂
Lynette Cory
WOW delicious ! I love how you explain everything in your videos Sam. The muffins are simply amazing. The texture and the flavor are remarkable. What a true talent you are. Thank you for all your amazing recipes❤😋
Sam
Thank you so much, Lynette! I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed everything so much. 🙂
Melissa
Okay let me begin by saying I’ve never left a review for a recipe on a blog post/website but these muffins made me do it. I just finished eating my first one and had to stop reaching for my second and third to write this review. These ARE SO AMAZING. I followed everything exactly, even let the batter sit for 1 hour. I did 12 regular sized and oh my, I think I’m eating the whole pan!!! Thanks for the recipe!!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Melissa! I appreciate you taking the time to leave a review. 🙂
Becky
I am in the process of making my first batch. I am also making 12 count – did you change the cooking times and if so by how much – aprox…?
Melissa
I only changed the cooking times at the end for the 350 15 minutes. Instead I did 11 minutes but still at 350. This is for the 12 count, They came out great!
Sam
Thank you for the feedback, Melissa! I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
Irene Ramos
Hi Sam! I’m so excited to try these! If I use a 12-count muffin tin, should I still follow the temperature changes? And how long? Thank you! I love all your recipes so I decided to try this one next!
Sam
Hi Irene! I actually cover using a 12 count muffin tin in the instructions. They will just need less time on the lower temperature. 🙂
Marina
These were delicious 😋 grandkids loved , loved
saving this recipe forever!
I sprinkled some home made toffee on top and sugar on the rest.
Thank you 🙏🏽
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them, Marina! 🙂
Kortney
These muffins are UNREAL. Recipe made 8 “standard” muffins for me. I baked for about 4 minutes less total. They’re so moist, so delicious. Will 100% make these again. WOW is all I can say!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Kortney! 🙂
Debbie
I just made choc chip muffins from another recipe and the muffins came out very heavy. I wonder if I used too much flour although I followed the recipe. I’m going to try your recipe for my next batch. Do you recommend that I sift the flour before measuring? Any idea why the muffins came out heavy. Thank you for any advice.
Sam
Hi Debbie! I actually have a post on how to measure flour that may be helpful to you. 🙂
Debbie
Thank you so much for the post on how to measure flour. It never occurred to me to measure it. Is there a place on your website to get other tips. I would love to get better at baking.
Sam
I do have a few other articles like this in my kitchen tips category. I also try to put helpful tips throughout the posts as I write them. 🙂
Debbie
Hi Sam, thank you for the great baking tips. These muffins were so delicious!! They were so good I couldn’t stop eating them :). I will definitely bake these again, and soon. Next on the baking list is your Peanut Butter Choc Chip muffins. Can’t wait to try those. Thanks for your GREAT muffin recipes and tips.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Debbie! 🙂
Angela
Hi Sam
I want make these muffins in regular 12- count muffins tin for how long should I bake them.For how long should preheat the oven for them
Sam
Hi Angela! I provide info for baking them in a regular muffin tin in step 11. 🙂
Sarah
I don’t know what happened! The tops are pretty brown and the insides are still goo 😭 I’m sure I made some type of mistake because everyone else loved them. Is there a chance they baked improperly because I made a double batch? I made them in the jumbo sized tins and baked them at 425 for 8 minutes and then reduced the temp to 350 and set a timer for 15 minutes right away. I put the tins side by side on the rack right in the middle of the oven. I’ve NEVER had any issues with your other recipes so this has me stumped. Any ideas?
Sam
O no! I’m so sorry this happened, Sarah! The two jumbo muffin tins side by side in the oven may have caused the issue. Sometimes when I need to bake that many muffins I will do them one tray at a time. 🙁
Michelle
This is an awesome muffin recipe! I made them, but used blueberries. My man said it is a keeper recipe! Thank you! You are my fav baker!!!
Sam
Thank you so much for trusting my recipes, Michelle, it means a lot to me!! I’m so glad this one was a hit for you, too 🙂