Double Chocolate Chip Muffins

Moist and intensely chocolatey, these double chocolate chip muffins are a chocolate lover's dream, with a decadently moist and tender crumb. Prepared with Dutch process cocoa for extra rich, chocolatey flavor, plus the addition of lots of good quality chocolate chips, both in the batter as well as sprinkled on top, this double chocolate chip muffin recipe is an utterly irresistible favorite to bake up!

Chocolate Muffins with Double the Chocolate

Being quite the chocolate lover, little is more enticing to me when it comes to freshly-baked goodies than those prepared with loads and loads of chocolate.

Craving a moist, rich, deeply chocolatey muffin recently, I decided to do some research on how to go about making the best chocolate muffins, and what ingredients would create that deeply rich flavor, intensely dark cocoa color, and decadently moist and tender crumb.

After preparing several batches of chocolate muffins (I know, I know, my job is so tough!), I settled on the ingredients that I felt created the best double chocolate muffin recipe, making these extra delicious and crave-worthy, and the perfect little treat to bake up and share with all the chocoholics in my life.

Filled to the brim with lots of rich, Dutch process cocoa powder, plus a hefty scoop of good quality semi-sweet chocolate chips, these cute and sweet double chocolate muffins are not only easy to make, but are sure to become your go-to chocolate muffin recipe to share with all those chocolate lovers in your life!

My Double Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe

Wanting to create an intensely chocolatey muffin, I tested these muffins with both regular cocoa powder and Dutch process cocoa powder to see which would yield a more chocolatey muffin, with a richer, darker color...

While regular cocoa powder was quite delicious and produced a good chocolatey flavor, I preferred the Dutch process cocoa (which is treated with an alkalizing agent to reduce the natural acidity of the cocoa), which has a slightly less bitter flavor and a darker color.

And because I was looking to create a double chocolate muffin here, I add about one and a half cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips (Guittard brand is fantastic) which I fold into the batter at the end, as well as sprinkle over the tops of the muffins before baking.

To create that moist, dense, rich crumb, I use a touch of both whole milk, a hefty scoop of sour cream, and a bit of oil in the batter.

And my “secret ingredient” for creating even more depth of flavor? A teeny spoonful of instant espresso powder (totally optional, by the way), which just brings out the natural flavor of the chocolate even more.

Here's a glance at my double chocolate chip muffins recipe: (or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To get started, I preheat my oven to 425° degrees, and lightly mist a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.
2. Next, I whisk together my dry ingredients, and set those aside.
3. Then, I whisk together my wet ingredients, and pour those into my dry, then fold everything together just until blended.
4. Next, I add 1 cup of my chocolate chips directly into my muffin batter and fold those in.
5. When done with the batter, I spoon equal portions of it into the 12 wells of my muffin tin, and sprinkle over top of each unbaked muffin some of the remaining scant ½ cup of chocolate chips.
6. The muffins are baked at 425° for 6 minutes, then I reduce the oven temp to 350°, and bake for an additional 14 minutes, or until set and baked through.
7. I allow the chocolate muffins to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then carefully remove and allow to cool completely before enjoying.

Recipe

Double Chocolate Chip Muffins

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

These moist, decadent double chocolate chip muffins are prepared with lots of rich cocoa powder plus semi-sweet chocolate chips!

Category: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Yield: 12 muffins

Nutrition Info: 365 calories per muffin

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup Dutch process cocoa powder
• 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional)
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temp
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ¾ cup full-fat sour cream, room temp
• ½ cup whole milk, room temp
• 1 cup, plus ½ (scant) cup, semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided use

Preparation:

1. Begin by gathering and prepping all of your ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
2. Preheat your oven to 425°, and lightly mist a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.
3. To prepare your dry ingredients, in a large bowl, sift together the flour and cocoa powder (I like to use a fine mesh strainer or sieve for this), and whisk in the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and instant espresso (if using). Set aside for a moment.
4. In another large bowl, whisk together the brown and granulated sugar with the eggs, then add in the vanilla and oil, and whisk to blend. Add in the sour cream and milk, and whisk just until smooth.
5. Add the wet ingredients into the dry, and fold the two together until well blended. Add in 1 cup of the chocolate chips, and fold those into the batter.
6. Spoon equal portions of the muffin batter in each of the 12 cups of the muffin tin, and top each with equal amounts of the remaining ½ (scant) cup of chocolate chips.
7. Bake the muffins at 425° for 6 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°, and bake for about 14 minutes more, or until a skewer/tester comes out clean. (Turn the muffins halfway through the baking time for even baking.)
8. Allow the double chocolate chip muffins to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then carefully remove them and allow them to completely cool on a wire rack before serving.

Tips & Tidbits for my Double Chocolate Chip Muffins recipe:

• Dutch process cocoa for richer, more intensely chocolatey flavor: While you can absolutely swap regular unsweetened cocoa powder here, the Dutch process cocoa has less acidity (and therefore, less bitterness) resulting in a more rich, chocolatey flavor. (I use Droste brand cocoa for this.)
• Good quality, semi-sweet chocolate chips: For that extra hint of chocolate, opt for good quality, rich semi-sweet chocolate chips (I use Guittard) to make these muffins extra decadent. When added to the batter, you'll notice the chocolate chips add a taste of chocolate in each bite.
• Both sour cream and milk for richness and moisture: Whole milk adds a bit of extra fat and moisture to these double chocolate chip muffins (we're not going for low-fat muffins here), and the sour cream adds a touch of richness and creates a tenderizing effect. Together, they create muffins with a moist, tender crumb.
• Start with high heat oven temp for muffins, then lower it: To get the more dome-shaped muffins rather than ones that spread, start with an oven temp of 425° to help immediately give that “rise” or “oven spring” to help these muffins lift up. Then, after 6 minutes, reduce the temp to 350° for the remainder of the baking.

Craving more deliciously chocolatey treats? Check out this Brownie Cake, this Chocolate Banana Bread, this Chocolate Pudding, these Chocolate Truffles, or this Chocolate Bark!