Something I joke about when introducing a new muffin recipe (not this one!) in my new cookbook out this fall is the gap between the muffins we gaze at in a coffee shop case and those we make at home. Why is one towering, glossy and plush and the ones I make for breakfast so… beige? I mean, I do know. When I’m the one baking the muffins, I balk at all of the refined sugar, flour, and oil needed to make them that pretty. So I stuff them with oats and dried fruit and whole-grain everything and then yes, they’re heavy and beige. But as I was staring at these beauties at my local bagel shop the other morning, I decided: enough.
Sometimes you need a chocolate muffin that’s hardly even pretending that it’s not just cake. Sure, it’s got yogurt in it. Sure, the sweetness is held in check. But I decided that I needed a recipe in my repertoire for a chocolate muffin as pretty as I’m tempted to buy for the days only a dark chocolate muffin will do. It was a very good idea; not a single person in my family has minded as I tested and retested these to get them exactly right for us. They fit all of my baking rules: they’re one-bowl, use no fussy ingredients, and even pass the left-it-out-on-the-counter-overnight test. The muffins are still shockingly plush (even if, of course, a touch more dry) in the morning. Finally, you can reduce your commitment level easily: halved, it makes six muffins. I hope they set your week off perfectly.
Previously
6 months ago: Fall Bliss Salad and Cranberry Pecan Bread
1 year ago: Classic Shortbread, Quick, Easy Salsa, and Twisty Cinnamon Buns
2 year ago: Rhubarb Cordial
3 year ago: Braised Ginger Meatballs In Coconut Broth
4 years ago: Triple Coconut Cream Pie
5 years ago: Pistachio Cake and A Reall Great Pot of Chickpeas
6 years ago: Potato Pizza, Even Better, Carrot Tahini Muffins and Sheet Pan Chicken Tikka
7 years ago: Strawberry Rhubarb Soda Syrup, Artichoke Gratin Toasts and Maple Pudding Cake
8 years ago: Lamb Meatballs with Feta and Lemon
9 years ago: Ramp Pizza and Yogurt Panna Cotta with Walnuts and Honey
10 years ago: Pasta with Garlicky Broccoli Rabe, Classic Ice Cream Sandwiches and Cinnamon Toast French Toast
11 years ago: Heavenly Chocolate Cake Roll and Crispy Potato Roast
12 years ago: Tangy Spiced Brisket
13 years ago: Pickled Grapes with Cinnamon and Black Pepper and Buttermilk Ice Cream
14 years ago: Fork-Crushed Purple Potatoes, Whole Wheat Apple Muffins, and Caramelized Shallots
15 years ago: Black Bean Confetti Salad and Margarita Cookies and Tequila Lime Chicken
Double Chocolate Chip Muffins
- 1/2 cup (100 to 115 grams) oil or melted butter
- 2/3 cup (140 grams) light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (120 grams) milk, any kind
- 1 cup (225 grams) plain yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 cup (60 grams) cocoa powder, any kind
- 1 3/4 cups (230 grams) flour
- 1 1/3 cups (225 grams) chocolate chips, divided
Spoon the batter into the 12 muffin cups; don’t fret if it goes all the way to the top. Scatter the remaining 1/3 cup chips over the tops of the muffins. Bake muffins for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each muffin comes out batter-free.
Eat right away or store muffins a few days in an airtight container at room temperature. Muffins get a bit more dry each day that they rest, but will rewarm nicely.
These look amazing! Thanks for the chocolate craving fix we need some days!
Can you use Greek yogurt? Or slightly thinned out Greek yogurt?
says you can in the notes above the recipe
Yes.
Dare I ask if I could throw in zucchini for some of the oil?
These are absolutely sumptuous!! Can’t believe how easy they are to make. For some reason they cracked badly, will try to lower the oven temperature next time. But it doesn’t really matter, because they’re so good!!
Many thanks for sharing the recipe, Deb!!!
I used Greek yoghurt as that’s what I had – they were absolutely amazing.
I had to thin out the batter with a little milk after using 5% greek yogurt but it worked!
I just love you. You consistently amaze me with your taste, skills and expressions. In a time of major upheaval, disappointments and craziness, coming to you is such a balm for my soul.
And then to post a chocolate muffin! Oh the glory! Thank you!
Would sour cream work in place of yogurt?
Yes.
I have been looking for a recipe like this! So, why do I want to insert little balls of ganche into the center before baking? Maybe I’d have to bake them in XL bakery sized muffin tins? Hmmm….can’t wait to try it!
You can pipe softened ganache into the baked muffins once they’ve cooled to the warm-to-room T.
Or how about balls of peanut butter mixed with cream cheese and a bit of powdered sugar?
You can put a teaspoon of ganache in the centers before baking
Do you think you could sub in some almond flour?
Some, but not all.
Cool, I was thinking 3/4 cup almond the rest reg. flour so if I make this for the kids…a little substance. Thanks Deb-I can’t tell you how many of your recipes I use in my daily rotation!
I subbed all almond flour and could have used a touch less, but they baked up perfectly anyway. I used 230g and next time I will use 200g.
Just one question: what kind of frosting do you recommend? :-D
Your blueberry muffins from SK Everyday are way better than any muffin I’ve ever had from a bakery. So I trust you also for these chocolate ones.
Just got these in the oven for my chocolate obsessed 6 year old (ok, and me too)! I didn’t have any plain yogurt or sour cream, but in the spirit of the recipe, I used this slightly weird tasting cookies and cream Greek yogurt that wasn’t exactly loved by our family. So far, the batter is tasty, ha! I think what I loved the most about this recipe is the very, very few dishes it took to make it and the flexibility of ingredients. Definitely going to be my “in a pinch chocolate fix” I think from now on!
I have been hoping you would do a chocolate chocolate chip muffin recipe for a very very long time. In high school many years ago we could buy a Costco muffin for a $1 and I always chose chocolate chip. I have tried to recreate them many times – because I am too old to eat 3x the muffin I really should once a week – and they always fail my memory’s standards. Nostalgia AND pants that still fit – you are a fantastic Deb!
Doubling back to confirm that these exactly as written are , indeed, perfection. I had concerns about the batter overflowing but they just domed gorgeously. My children declared them better than Costco’s. Now if I just could get back my high school energy level I’d be set! Will be trying these with coffee and buttermilk very very soon in the meantime!
These look fantastic! Can you sub buttermilk for the yogurt? I am more likely to have that in the fridge.
I didn’t test this with buttermilk instead of yogurt and milk, but wish I had (milk and yogurt seemed more breakfast-y). I suspect it will be okay, but report back if you can, thanks.
I swapped the milk and yogurt for 1.5 cups lowfat buttermilk, and they turned out great!
I was JUST telling my husband I wanted to try something new for breakfast and then a friend sent me this post. Definitely trying them soon. Thank you!
I substituted buttermilk for the yogurt and coffee for the milk and they turned out beautifully.
Oh I can’t wait to make these just as they are. I have everything in my kitchen to make them! Double chocolate! No mixer! One bowl! What more could anyone ask for? This is the best cooking blog out there, bar none. I don’t even think I’d mind if Smitten Kitchen was the ONLY one!
Amen, Cyndi. Amen. ;)
I have everything except the yogurt. I’ve been putting off going to the store to get more.. guess I have a good reason to go now!
So I may have just made these tonight, even though I had plans of using the rhubarb I had just bought to make the rhubarb snacking cake. I halved the recipe and they have turned out delish! Used Greek yogurt, not too sweet, very chocolatey. Will be making again!
I’m going to make these for me for my birthday. Nuff said.
Can I use buttermilk in this? And if yes, to replace the milk or the yogurt? Can’t wait to try. So many of your recipes are in my heavy rotation! Thank you :)
I didn’t test this with buttermilk instead of yogurt and milk, but I suspect you’ll be okay. Let us know how it goes?
Easy, quick, yummy! They are lighter and far less sweet than a typical dense, heavier chocolate cupcake from a bakery. I used Hershey’s espresso chocolate chips on top – just the right amount of coffee flavor.
Hi Deb – could this recipe be made in a loaf pan? Would the oven temperature/cooking time need to be altered?
I’d think so (although I’d bump the sugar to 1 cup for more of a cake taste). I’m not sure how long it would bake but I would check it at 35 minutes, then every 5 thereafter. It will probably be 3/4 full.
Any suggestions for subbing something non-dairy for the yogurt? Or just use a different recipe completely? Thanks.
You could use a non-dairy yogurt, if you can get one. I wonder if applesauce might work too?
I love the double chocolate banana bread recipe on this site as muffins. One recipe makes 12 muffins. I make it dairy-free by using oil in place of the melted butter. A staple recipe in our home.
made, cooled, sampled!
i used the Guittard bittersweet and milk chips mixed, and the top had just the (kind of giant!) milk chips placed on top and OMG they look like brown cartoon mushrooms and taste amazing!
i’m so happy with these, and certain i will cry when the half-batch i made is gone (tomorrow?!)
I just made your perfect blueberry muffins yesterday lol! Can’t wait to try these soon.
Made these tonight & they came out a bit flat in flavour (though not flat in rise, they look great!). Maybe I was cheap on the salt. So don’t do as I did, pay attention to the salt.
Haha same here Deb! I start to bake muffins at home…”2/3 cup sugar? Could I maybe do 1/2 instead? And what if I use whole wheat pastry flour? Stick in some walnuts, why not…” What I end up with is a perfectly good breakfast, but NOT an indulgence. You’ve inspired me to let it all loose on this one.
I will definitely be trying these ones, but admit that I will use at least some oat flour, just to see what happens (my husband will eat pretty much anything I bake, even if it doesn’t quite work)…but I know what you mean – life is too short not indulge from time to time!
Also – I will ensure the library where I work orders a copy of your forthcoming book :) And I imagine one will make its way to my personal library as well!
These look amazing. If I added a
Banana, would I have to make other adjustments in the recipe? Maybe reduce the amount of yogurt?
I’d swap mashed banana for the yogurt, however, you might get less of a rise if you’re using a Dutched cocoa (European-style) and no acidic ingredient (what the yogurt is). In that case, I’d swap the milk for buttermilk and hopefully it does the trick.
I didn’t have yogurt on hand, but had plenty of bananas, so decided to give this a try and they are delicious! I added a some white vinegar for acidity (1 tablespoon I think).
The double chocolate banana bread recipe on this site makes great muffins!
I SO appreciate and understand this argument!!! What beautiful muffins! Thank you <3 they are just what we need right now
I homeschool my kids and every year our reward for getting it done is to make a big batch of whoopie pies. It’s hot here this week and honestly my stamina for pulling out sheet after sheet of cookie halves is never very high on a normal day, but right now is at an all-time low after pandemic-ing and working third shift, so I decided to make these instead as an attempt to lighten my own load. They are, honestly, incredible. They look incredible, they taste incredible, I didn’t have to get in my car and drive to our coffee shop and wait in line and spend five bucks for one of them. So much to love. I just threw it all together and 40 minutes later I’m in heaven and so are all three of my kids. THANK. YOU.
Beautiful!! My muffins never really create a pretty top dome that “overhangs” the sides of the liner like this. Is the problem just not filling the muffin cups enough, or could it be a rising issue related to my leavener or oven temp?
It could be the recipe itself (although these should absolutely dome), the muffin tin size, or the leavener.
Hi Deb!
This looks divine. I love your muffins. What type of chocolate chips do you recommend? Bittersweet? Semi-sweet? Can’t wait to try!
I use semi-sweet here but either work (and I don’t think there are technical rules for labels of each term, so it might not mean much which you choose).
What will be the major difference in using melted butter or canola oil? Aside from one being dairy free, is there a difference with texture?
Butter has, in my opinion, better flavor. Oil can make the muffin seem more moist.
I agree with you about butter and flavor.Lately if a recipe calls for oil I’ve been using avocado oil and I think it really adds a creamy aspect that other oils don’t. Also because of it’s high heat point it keeps more of the nutritional value than other oils can lose.
Note: in his book Eat Smarter Sawn Stevenson explained the latest research on the healthiest fats to eat and cook with. Thanks again Deb for another “have to try” recipe. I plan to whip some up tomorrow morning!
Made these yesterday and used what I had on hand which was: white whole wheat flour, almond milk, canola oil. I added a tablespoon of coffee because it was there. I forgot to put the chocolate chips on top and messed up the oven temp a little (went too low so had to bake for about 5 extra minutes). And they turned out great! Exactly what you described them to be, Deb! I like them better on day 2…yes they’re technically drier but not dry at all, more muffin-y now in my opinion (vs. cupcake-y). And the tops! Soooo good, I can only imagine how much better they’d be if I hadn’t forgotten the chocolate chips on top. Very easy recipe.
I seen this Recipe and just had to make them. Love them and hubby likes them too. Thank you! I had to use sour cream as I did not have yogurt but they turned out great.
Made these today and subbed coffee for the milk and used buttermilk instead of yogurt. Delicious! Made 12 larger muffins and 16 mini muffins. My kids are currently running the mini muffins through a container of cool whip for an after school snack. 🙈
Halved the recipe and made 6, because I’ll eat all 12 in a couple days otherwise.
Subbed sour cream and coconut milk (not the canned kind) for yogurt and milk, as that’s what I had on hand.
They’re just perfect and so easy to make, they’re dangerous!
Can this be baked in loaf pans? If so, how many?
It would probably fill one loaf pan 2/3 to 3/4 of the way.
I made this in a loaf pan and it turned out great. Took about an hour with lots of checking at the end. Swapped the milk for strong coffee because I like coffee. Tastes great and goes excellent with milk or coffee or orange juice. Chocolate in the morning, what’s not to like?
Could you sub coconut, olive, or avocado oil?
Absolutely.
I recall reading about using espresso or coffee to enhance chocolate baking. Would you recommend this? Is it powdered or brewed coffee and how would I incorporate it into the recipe?
She says in the recipe notes that you can sub the milk for brewed coffee. If you still want to use the milk, I don’t see a reason not to use powdered coffee – depending on what kind, you can mix it into either the dry ingredients or the wet (at home I only have freeze-dry instant coffee, which comes in largish granules, so I’d make sure to mix it into the wet ingredients until all melted, otherwise it might not incorporate well; from what I understand, espresso powder is more finely ground so you could mix it into the flour like any other spice).
YES!!
These are wonderful, and I’m going to share them with the students in my summer class today. I only had 60% bittersweet chips on hand, but I think next time I’ll try milk chocolate, or even perhaps a mix of semisweet and peanut butter chips for a pop of sweetness.
Oh this is going to happen here. And soon.
Although… well, I know you said the chocolate chips are not optional, but I still have a bag of butterscotch chips I bought on a visit to the US last summer and want to use in something. These might turn into chocolate butterscotch muffins.
(I also really want to try switching the yoghurt with sour cream, because that often works really well, but as it happens I currently have only the former and not the latter.)
I love muffins for sure, but what does plush mean when applied to baked goods? You use that adjective with nearly every recipe for baked goods, and yet I can’t find a definition of plush that applies to baked goods so am trying to figure out what you are trying to describe so I know if I should try this recipe. Thanks.
I’m thinking thick and cushiony. Plush is often a soft fabric but it’s come to mean something more richly luxurious. Anyway, think: soft but thick.
And “plush” is much more pleasing than saying “moist.” LOL
LOL, ‘moist’ is not a favorite word of mine either, leave it to Deb to find an elegant description.
Excellent recipe. Made as written. I opted for veg oil, light brown sugar, and coffee with full-fat greek yogurt. I used Aldi Dark Chocolate Morsels. Beautiful recipe. I love your “non-fussy” one-bowl recipes. Easy-Peasy. Thanks for sharing.
Baked these today. Mine came out very bittersweet. They will need a scoop of ice cream and raspberries to fix them…..
Fantastic muffins! I used Greek yogurt which made the batter very thick, almost to a cookie dough consistency, so I was skeptical.
Mile high, chocolatey and still all the muffin qualities.
I should know to always trust SK.
I’d like to make these in mini muffin form. Any cautions or thoughts? I was considering using mini chocolate chips for distribution issues.
Love all your recipes, Deb! Thank you!
I think mini-chips are a great idea and I wouldn’t expect any issues from mini-muffins. Just take them out as soon as they’re done.
These look amazing…ok to use fat free plain yogurt?
I didn’t test it but I think so.
I used fat free yogurt (what I had and had to them NOW) and coffee for the liquid. Delish. Maybe drier than if a higher fat used—but enough chips to not notice!
Do you think marscapone would work as a swap for yogurt here? (I have some left from last week’s mushroom pasta :) )
Yes! And I appreciate your commitment to the SK recipe universe. :)
Made these this afternoon. If you, like me, are doubling the recipe, wildly multitasking, and constantly running up and down the basement stairs to get additional ingredients when you seem to be running out of everything in the cupboard, you can still make these in an hour and ten minutes. :)
I ran out of ap flour so about a third of the flour was pastry flour – fantastic, still very plush. I used a mixture of semisweet and bittersweet chocolate chips in the batter. After tasting the batter, to add a little more sweetness I only topped each with a single white chocolate “melting chip” (they’re a bit larger). Not bad, looked pretty, not a huge difference in flavor. Would be fun to try a mini marshmallow instead, I think.
I might’ve screwed up the salt – I was thinking kosher salt is saltier than table salt, but it’s probably the other way round, so I didn’t use enough table salt. I found these to be delicious albeit somewhat understated, despite all the chocolate; probably my salt error that’s the culprit. Looking forward to trying them again! Thank you Deb!
These muffins are excellent!
They do not taste like cupcakes disguised as muffins; the amount of sugar (I used brown sugar, as recommended) is just right.
I made 24 muffins using 1.5 x the recipe. They’re not quite as towering as the pictures, but I was afraid of the tops sticking to my muffin pans and then having to fight to get them out.
If anyone is curious about making them dairy free: I used df margarine and a little oil for the fat, almond milk, unsweetened coconut yogurt, and Enjoy Life chocolate chips.
This recipe is a keeper!
This muffins are EXACTLY what you say they are! Perfect!!
Thanks!
I know the basic difference between a cupcake and a muffin, in terms of texture, leavening, mixing and ingredients, etc. That said, how different does this really taste compared to a chocolate cupcake? It sounds so delicious…so we just call it a muffin so it will sound like a healthier breakfast than a cupcake? (wink, wink)
I found the cake component both less sweet and somewhat less fine-crumbed than I’d expect a cupcake to be. It’s not austere though, it’s a real treat of a muffin!
I followed the recipe exactly as written above, but my muffins are very dense. Any thoughts on what could have gone wrong?
This happened to me too. They were dense and dry, right out of the oven.
These are delicious and so moist!
I love how they’re not overly sweet. I used a combination of bittersweet and semisweet chocolate chips. The chocolate chips melt while you’re eating these muffins, I will definitely make these again.
Thanks for an excellent recipe!
What a great recipe! I made these with 1% Lactaid milk and as I didn’t have a full cup of yogurt I used applesauce to bring it up to a cup. I also used Hershey’s Dark Cocoa. The next time I make the recipe I’ll use non-stick spray instead of paper liners – I don’t want to waste a morsel! I love that you’re so open to people trying all sorts of variations. It’s a fantastic basic recipe and I don’t think it’s possible to ruin it.
Super excited to bake these. My go to is usually the Nigella Lawson recipe from her domestic goddess cookbook and they are very good, but I like your less sugar, add yogurt idea. I do recommend to you and anyone here to split your muffin ( perhaps lightly toast) and spread some peanut butter on it before devouring. You will not be sorry. :)
Oh nice idea!
Oh those look good and I’m sure they taste great! I’m going to scale it back for a smaller batch because I know I’d eat ALL of these. I see someone already asked about the sour cream so will try both ways.
Made these today, some with milk chocolate, some with dark chocolate and some with peanut butter chips. Consensus is that they’re all delicious!
Also I finally got a copy of your second cookbook and am enjoying pouring over all of these delicious looking recipes. Can’t wait to get cooking!
Our local airport has a restaurant (yes, one restaurant) that makes amazing double chocolate muffins. My husband travels for work frequently and knows to always bring one home for me. I made this recipe this weekend (used avocado oil and almond milk to feel marginally better about it) and now he’s relieved of this duty! Thanks for another delicious, easy hit.
These are absolute perfection! Bakery quality (love the height and glossiness), super quick and easy (even with my kids “helping”) and very few dishes (especially when using a kitchen scale). A winner!
These will be getting made as written and also subbing in peanut butter chips mmmm…. Maybe even a combo. Can’t wait to try them!!!
Made this this morning with espresso chips because another person mentioned and I was like genius as I have these chips in the house and was waiting for the perfect recipe to use them and this was definitely it! These are wonderful and rose nicely.
My only issue/question is, I used paper liners and there was a pool of “grease” at the bottom when I went to remove them from the muffin tins. I waited 10 minutes for them to cool in the tins and then removed. They were not greasy to eat and for us perfect sweetness. I used one stick of Trader Joe’s unsalted butter. Was just curious if anyone else had this issue.
Delicious! I used vanilla skyr and used a little less vanilla extract — wish I’d gone full vanilla, as I don’t think the flavor came through. But still wonderful!
Just made this today. Halved recipe which made 16 mini muffins. The metric measurements were so helpful. Also used mini chocolate chips, so good! Perfectly moist and chocolatey, baked in 18 minutes.
I’m sorry but don’t think they’re sweet enough. Also had to add an extra egg and milk because the batter was too thick.
Thoughts on freezing muffins after they’ve baked and cooled? How would the taste hold up after defrosting and would defrosting mean just taking it out leaving it on the counter to come to room temp? Thanks!
I made these following the recipe to the t except I didn’t have enough chocolate chips.
Don’t skip them! Wish I had put in some other chocolate because they were kind of bland where there wasn’t any chocolate chip. Used Hersheys dark chocolate and the whole amount of kosher salt. So a little sad
Simple and delicious!
So delicious! I accidentally upped the milk to 2/3 cup, and they came out fabulous! I made my second batch the next day, making only half a batch, and cut the sugar back to 1/4 cup. Big mistake. Keep sugar where it is. Once again, you’ve given us a deliciously simple recipe, Deb. Thank you!
Real talk: what kind of scoop (brand, size) do you use for portioning the muffin batter in your Instagram video?
Not only I spent way too much time starring at how perfect these double chocolate chip muffins look but I also ended up reading all the comments. I saw someone mention that these aren’t sweet enough so I’m excited to make this dessert because to me it seems like the perfect recipe. The pictures look decadent!
Made these this morning with two ripe bananas instead of the two eggs (I have no issue with eggs, but I did have two extremely spotty bananas staring at me from the kitchen counter) and they turned out wonderfully! Yes, Deb has several other wonderful chocolate banana bread recipes on the site, but I wanted to be part of the double chocolate chip muffin zeitgeist! I also used about 45g fewer chips than called for because I didn’t feel like opening and chopping a new chocolate bar, and the muffins *are* lacking from the loss, but only a very wee bit. Off to eat seconds. :)
For anyone wondering this worked fine as mini muffins just shortened the cooking time a little – ymmv. used greek yogurt and it made the batter pretty thick so had to add more almond milk to loosen.
Delicious! Due to an egg allergy in our family, I split the batter in half and used 1/4 cup applesauce in place of one egg (so, if doing the whole recipe, 1/2 c in place of the two eggs) and both versions came out perfect!!
Made these yesterday and they turned out perfectly! I didn’t have yogurt but subbed in sour cream. This will stay in the rotation. Used semi sweet and espresso chips. Love the flexibility of the recipe.
Expresso chips – genius!!!
How do you feel about using sour cream for the yogurt (it’s what I have in the house) and making 24 mini muffins (I need to feed a crowd)?
What kind of flour do I use? I am learning to bake at 65! I have bread flour, self-rising, and wheat flour. I am making these ASAP!
Are these freezable after baking?
I actually wish these were sweeter, and I don’t usually say that about baked goods. I know they’re still meant to be “breakfast” but if we can call donuts & cinnamon rolls breakfast, I think we can go sweeter on the muffin front here (it’s already double chocolate, after all!) Not sure if I’ll make these again (they were very quick & easy so thay was nice) but if I did, I would up the sugar for sure.
Hey! Long-time fan, first-time commenter here. I’m so excited to make these muffins tomorrow morning, but the only muffin tin in my house is a JUMBO 6-muffin pan (I think by Wilton?).
I presume I can just pop about 50% more batter in each of the muffin cups and then give it an extra 5 to 10 minutes in the oven at 350°F – but I was just curious if you or anyone else in the comments section had any more specific advice/tips to impart so I don’t end up criminally under- or overbaking. Thank you!!
These are amazing! We used avocado oil, coffee, sour cream and half Hershey’s regular cocoa and half Dutch processed cocoa. Thanks for sharing another wonderful recipe!
Oh my gosh! The PICTURES!!!!!
This may be sacrilege, but thoughts on adding zucchini? Bad choice? Any modifications required?
You would not know that there was zucchini in it and they would probably be more moist. Have you made her zucchini bread as muffins? They are excellent and freeze so well for lunches.
I used most of the same ingredients Deb suggested except I used 1 cup of white sugar in the batter to make it a bit sweeter, 1/2 cup of applesauce and 1/4 cup each sour cream and yogurt. I cut back a bit on the chocolate chips using 2/3 cup in the batter and 1/3 cup on top. They taste delicious. My question is about the silicone muffin pan I used. I actually love this pan because it does not need to be greased and the muffins come out easily with no waste. However, the muffins did not dome as much as I had hoped and took longer to bake by 7 minutes. They do not brown on the outsides much. This seems like a common problem with this sort of pan. Some muffin recipes seem to be fine, others, not quite right. The advantages to this pan are so great I wish I had no problems with it. Do you ever use a pan like this? Thanks!
I made a double batch, using one silicone muffin pan and one metal pan. I had the same issue with the muffins in the silicone pan not doming. The ones in the metal pan domed beautifully. No idea why this happens but wanted to offer solidarity. :)
Thank you, Ann! I appreciate knowing your similar experience. 😊
I love the flexibility of this recipe! Since I was using whole wheat flour, I lowered it to 215 grams. I also used about a cup of sour cream (minus a few tablespoons) and whole coffee milk and they came out delicious!
Made these immediately after seeing them on Instagram. They turned out picture perfect but unfortunately they were a bit dry and not sweet enough.
I was going to make Ina’s raspberry bars tonight but she’s been preempted.
These look deluxe and I have everything at home.
tl;dr: increase the salt!!
I had a similar experience to a couple of other commenters and found that the flavor fell a bit flat. I followed Deb’s recipe to the gram and everything about this muffin is delectable (the incredibly plush interior! the chocolate-studded lid!) but it’s as if the potential of incredible chocolate flavor is held back. I appreciate that Deb keeps the sweetness in check, but maybe these need a bit more sugar to really let the chocolate flavor sing? Or just increasing the salt to 3/4 tsp might do the trick. Next time I think I’ll try both.
I can’t believe how delicious these are! I made normal chocolate chip muffins yesterday and tried these today – very decadent!
for the butter, would I melt then measure a 1/2c or just melt a stick of butter? Thanks!
Mine came out just okay – pretty dry, but they have potential. Next time, I’ll try with oil instead of butter, take them out two minutes earlier and ignore the fudgy batter that comes out with the toothpick, and mix with a stand mixer instead of by hand. Hopefully that will all make a little difference, but I’ll report back…
Deb, did the recipe index get reorganized? It is showing up wonky when I look for cornmeal griddle cakes?
Sorry about that — just noticed the error yesterday and getting it fixed today. Here’s the recipe!
Thanks!
Have these baking now, used butter, sour cream and King Arthur Black Cocoa (in for a penny, in for a pound). If the batter is any indication – YUM!!! Looks as though this may end up being in steady rotation, very simple, quick and delicious. Thank you!!
Made these with Greek yogurt (in your suggestions) and they were outstanding. Thanks for this lusciously moist chocolate muffin recipe.
After reading some of the comments, I went ahead and made this with buttermilk subbed for the yogurt and milk because that’s what I had on hand. Followed the recipe otherwise. Wanted to just offer a note for others that the muffins were delicious but did take ~6 minutes longer with this substitution; I think it made the batter a bit thinner than it would have been otherwise. Will definitely be making these again, hopefully with the yogurt on hand next time :)
The first Smitten Kitchen recipe I tried was double chocolate banana bread and it was so good I am pretty certain this will also be great.
The oven was on for another baked good so I stirred together a half batch of these. While warm I did a taste test, definitely a muffin – not a cupcake! I did a quick tally, a rough estimate, of the calories. Not sure they’re worth the 310+ but maybe they will be better when not quite so warm. For the record I used milk chocolate morsels.
Completely impressed by the texture of the muffin and how easy it is to make.
Regarding the taste it’s important to remember it’s a muffin and not an indulgent dessert. My first bites were flavor-wise disappointing, just lacking oomph. When I reminded myself that it wasn’t meant to be an all-consuming cupcake, and adapted my mindset to it as a breakfast snack, then the flavor improved vastly.
My recipe choices were 50/50 sunflower oil and melted butter, 50/50 leftover coffee and whole milk for the liquid, and a thick greek yogurt because that’s what was in the fridge
It’s worthwhile to make and to consider how to notch up the depth in the future.
Thanks for the recipe! Texture seriously awesome.
These look phenomenal! I can’t wait to roll up my sleeves and make them!! :)
Can I half this recipe?
I’d love to make 12 but a bit too many for us.
Thank you.
Hi Deb and the SK universe…Since the recipe was published last week, I’ve made and personally eaten 2 batches of these! I love many of your recipes and am a dedicated, albeit quiet, fan. The first time I used Bob’s red mill egg replacer and some Kite Hill protein yogurt, and they were somewhat oddly thick/strangely textured but still good. Only when I baked the second batch as soon as I ate the last muffin did I realize I’d also skimped on the sugar by accident the first time. Take two, I used eggs and the suggested amount of sugar with half plain coconut yogurt and half Vegannaise because I ran out of yogurt. Cut the salt by half to account for the salt in the mayo. Yum! Catch me baking a third batch soon… 😉
I just made these, hoping they’d be like the supersized double chocolate Costco muffins that my son loves! I didn’t have a tub of yogurt so I used three small vanilla yogurt cups (equivalent to 1 Cup) and skipped the vanilla. The batter GENEROUSLY filled 12 muffins, so they needed about 24 minutes to bake. Success…kid approved! (Just don’t tell him I omitted the 1/3 Cup chips sprinkled on top!)
Another delicious recipe! Thanks for sharing, Deb! I may be an outlier but I’m sharing this in case the bake time was off for anyone else: it took me 30 minutes to get a clean knife out of the center cupcakes. Keep this in mind if you made any modifications.
Noticing some of the comments that there wasn’t enough of a chocolate punch to the cake, I decided to start out by blooming the cocoa in boiling water and adding a little instant espresso. These ended up with a great springy crumb even with half whole-wheat pastry flour, and plenty of bittersweet flavor. I have no complaints!
These are sooooo good!
And when they dry out a bit (but not too much, I made them on Saturday, it’s now Tuesday and they’re not much different to freshly cooled), a little birdie told me they’re SENSATIONAL if you zap them for 15 seconds, then add a scoop of vanilla icecream and a drizzle of butterscotch sauce.
Just sayin’.
This was a fun treat for breakfast but definitely in the dessert category for us. They taste like little mini cakes. We probably wont make them again but I am happy that I tried them. Thanks for another great recipe!
I have fine sea salt instead of kosher salt. Should I still use 1/2 teaspoon or increase the amount?
You would want to use a little less of a more fine salt.
Just made these for the second time and they are perfect! Although they do seem to take more like 25 min in my oven. The first time I made them for my select high school choir on the last day and they disappeared pretty quick! I had to make them again so my own kids at home could enjoy them this time.
Very nice texture, not too sweet, quick and easy to throw together.
Hey! Can I make the batter the night before, then portion and bake in the morning? Thanks!
Just made these and the smell coming out of the oven was already gorgeous! Made as written (Sainsburys own ‘low fat Greek style’ yoghurt for that recipe item, in case any U.K. readers are staring at their fridges!) but with some fudge chunks I had in my baking box as well as the chocolate chips. I potentially underfilled my muffin cases (and the U.K. ones might be a little smaller??) because a half batch made 10 muffins for me
Made these today (used vegetable oil, light brown sugar, and Greek yogurt, along with the Ghirardelli grand chips), and they came out perfectly! The recipe made 14 glorious muffins–chocolatey but not too sweet. Might try with peanut butter chips next time.
Oooh peanut butter chips are a fantastic idea!
These were so good. I made them with gluten-free flour and a little xanthan gum. Absolutely delicious – just the chocolate-y hit that I needed. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Fiona! Can you share what kind of GF flour you used? Thanks!
Excellent. I made these mini and overcooked them a smidge (20min) so a little dry but still excellent. Will make again.
I doubled the recipe chopped up Ritter Sport candy bars for the chips. Chocolate chips were impossible to find. They came out great! My grandson will enjoy them in the Tiergarten with his friends. Thanks for a simple recipe that is sure to please.
These were a huge hit on Father’s Day! I used some leftover vanilla yogurt–I forgot to reduce the amount of sugar or vanilla in the batter and these were still amazing. Baking time was more like 25-30 minutes.
These were so delicious!!! So easy to make. Perfect chocolate treat!
How can I print all the comments that come along with this chocolate chip muffin recipe? Many good substitutions and suggestions.
Ah, sorry, I don’t have it set up on the print template. (Mostly people would yell at me for causing so many pages to print!).
I used mini chips and made 40 mini muffins with the batter filled to the brim. They baked in about 15-16 minutes at 350 for me.
These muffins have potential! I used butter and will use oil next time, in hopes of them being more moist. I am also looking for more of a chocolate punch. So I’ll try adding some coffee and a little more salt. Glad to hear that people had success halving the recipe. That’s what I’ll do the second time around. Has anyone tried a little less baking soda?
Can I use liquid chocolate, like Hershey’s, instead of cocoa powder?
I didn’t have yogurt so I used sour cream instead. The muffins were wonderful! This is the recipe I’ve been waiting for!
These are heaven. I used Greek yogurt and it came out fine. They are not too sweet but I don’t mind that.
I tripled the recipe and made more than 40 muffins for a charity event. The recipe is so easy to scale up and the result was delicious. However, they needed about 25 minutes baking time for me.
Wow! Very yummy! Kids came home for the weekend and I had no idea how to keep them pleased. Well I whipped these up with pantry staples and OMG they are good. I will definitely be adding these to my regular list.
Had leftover homemade yogurt and needed something to do with it… Delicious! Made 30 in standard cupcake tins…
Needed something chocolate, didn’t have any butter….these were the perfect solution! Dangerously easy, SO DELICIOUS, created very few dishes. It will be difficult to resist making these weekly!
Delicious and easy thank you! I had a picture to share but not sure how to send it!
I followed the recipe with brown sugar and it was definitely sweet enough for us! All 4 of my little kids loved it!
Could you do 1:1 with gluten free flour?
Hi Deb, cudos for adding grams to your recipe. Those are only for dry measures by weight. Liquid measures should be in mLs. Roughly 28 plus mL (about 30mL ) equals a liquid ounce. 1 tablespoon is 15mL, 1teaspoon is 5mL. All over the world people cook in metric so good for you!
I was thinking of making these for a gluten-free friend. Do you think swapping the AP for Measure-4-Measure (or something similar) will work? Thanks!
I had enough batter to fill at least 6 more cups after I finished the first dozen. It was also a super sticky and thick and didn’t feel like any muffin batter I had ever experienced before. I persisted though, filled up those cups and baked until the toothpick came out clean. The muffins did not rise as much as I had feared, thank goodness, but were also dry and the flavor is a bit flat despite all that good quality cocoa and chocolate. I agree that they could be sweeter as well and I typically prefer less sweet. But I’m mostly curious about the batter texture because struggling to get the sticky clumps in the tin without sticking to everything else but the paper liner was a real task.
I baked these as directed. They came out looking perfect. I do find the cocoa flavour overwhelming so I personally would reduce it if I make these again. May be just the type of cocoa I use (I get it from Costco)
I have successfully baked this recipe in miniature loaf pans (5.75″ x 3″) to give as gifts. One recipe = 3 loaf pans. As with the muffins, the batter completely fills the pans but does not spill over. The loaves dome beautifully. For added drama I use larger size chocolate chips. (I like Ghirardelli’s “Grand” semi-sweet.)
Baking details:
Line loaf pans with parchment. (I only drape the parchment over the long sides, then butter the short sides/ends of the pans.)
Bake at 350 degrees for (approx) 40 minutes.
Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pans, using the parchment “sling” for easy removal.
I also like to add 1/2 tsp of coffee extract to this, and other super-chocolaty, recipes.
I threw in a drizzle of orange extract and a healthy sprinkle of my dried orange peel. A cafe in Port Dover Ont. had a muffin like this. But I decided I couldn’t go wrong with your basic recipe.
They turned out great!
Deb, just curious, why is this recipe not listed in the Chocolate category page https://smittenkitchen.com/recipes/sweets/chocolate/?format=list ? I was looking for it there before I realise it must be listed under Muffins/Quick bread instead. Thanks :)
Will fix! Thanks for the heads up.
I made a batch of these in late May and froze them. In my microwave, 30 seconds took 1 from frozen to perfectly reheated. I then split it vertically and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert. Highly recommended, the chips get all gooey.
Hi Deb, I am a huge fan of your recipes and have made them multiple times. I was wondering what kind of muffin/cupcake liners you’d recommend? I’ve been having issues with the cake sticking.
I use these most often. They’re parchment and not much sticks. That said, a very sticky cake still might.
Came out amazing as usual! Smell from the kitchen is heavenly and the kids were impressed. Deb, you nail it every time.
Subs:
I used Mexican table cream with a splash of rice vinegar (instead of yogurt), half raw cacao powder and half guittard cocoa powder (instead of all cocoa powder), European style high fat butter (instead of American butter, a mix of milk and half and half I had in the fridge.
Extras:
I added a pinch of extra salt, a cup of walnuts, a splash of grand marnier liqueur, and a splash of coconut extract.
I love Debs recipes so much. So I am out of vanilla extract used almond, out of chocolate chips so I cut up a bar of chocolate. Also used gluten free flour one for one. These are so so delicious
Phenomenal recipe. Love dark chocolate but hate overly sweet chocolate cake, brownies, etc. These were exactly right for my palate and ridiculously easy. I used Dutch cocoa and Nestle’s dark chocolate chips. Swoon!
We couldn’t buy a decent chocolate muffin here if we wanted. With this recipe, that’s no longer a problem. I made them as bite-sized and mid-sized muffins, both came out moist and sumptuous.
My one add: I warmed the milk and steeped it with Mariage-Frères violetta tea. The dark chocolate and violet effect is delightful. (Inspired by the Reading Lasses cafe in Wigtown, Scotland.)
Thank you!!
These muffins are wonderful! I had everything in the pantry (because of its flexibility) and i was especially glad to use up partial packages of a mix of chocolate powders. I used paleo-friendly chocolate chips in the batter and white chocolate chips on top. Also added a tsp. of espresso powder. Fast and easy way to use up bits of partial packages for delicious treats. This recipe is a keeper!
I love these muffins and make them on a consistent basis, always turning out delicious. But each time I have to bake them for at least double the listed time, has anyone else found this? By 20 min the tops have solidified and look beautiful, but the inside is still batter. Any tips?
Yes, I had to leave mine in until they were more firm on top and a toothpick came out (mostly) clean.
First, so many good tips in the comments! As I posted on Insta, this recipe is incredibly forgiving! I made the recipe plant based (except for the yogurt) by using Violife butter, oat milk and flax “eggs”. However, I got distracted by ingredient weights when I was doing my mise en place (if your brown sugar is dried out it will weigh less! a cup of 4% greek yogurt weighs 2x regular plain yogurt!) and completely forgot to add in the baking soda, salt and milk until after I had mixed the batter — I added it all last minute and just figured I’d have to toss the whole shebang. :-( Instead, the muffins came out beautifully! Because I used less brown sugar (used the cup v. grams measurement) and used dark chocolate chips, the bittersweet flavor was perfect. I warm them in the microwave for 15 seconds and put a little unsalted peanut butter on them…the perfect healthy afternoon snack. Did the nutrition calcs on MyFitnessPal: 300 cal per muffin; 15 g. fat; 5 mg cholesterol; 4 g. fiber; 39 g. carbs; 7 g. protein. I’ll be making this regular for neighbors and friends…I’m sure it will be phenomenal!
Holy cow these are amazing!! Slight changes because I have allergies to wheat and a bunch of other things, so used my own flour mix, plus dairy free yoghurt and milk and chocolate . . . mini-chips on top and i didnt measure them. Took 23 minutes to cook through but my oven is lousy. Still, they did dome over and as you mentioned, they dried out but were still MAGICAL in the microwave the next day!
OH BOY! My sister is coming over for dinner and dessert…and guess what I am making for dessert? I have all the ingredients but not a twelve cup muffin pan. I do have a 6 so that means bigger muffins. Thats certainly ok with me. Thank you always for outstanding and decadent recipes.
just wanted to say how much I appreciate that each time I cook from here, I can close my eyes and make a new (to me) SK recipe with no trepidations because I know it will be excellent.
thank you! we made these last weekend, and I was planning my menu for next week, and wanted to do something with white beans–and got excited by pizza beans!
Best double chocolate chip muffin ever!! Not too sweet and puffed up beautifully in the oven.
Just discovered this recipe as I was looking for something to bring to our neighborhood brunch this weekend. Thank you so much! These will be perfect.
I made these in France, where I live. I used type 65 organic white flour, sunflower oil, soft light brown sugar and whole milk yogurt. I had some American Ghirardelli chocolate chips from a recent trip. Otherwise I would chop up a bar because the chocolate chips in French supermarkets aren’t great. They turned out really, really well – best chocolate muffin recipe I have tried. Amazing rise. Just barely sweet. Not all the baking recipes on this blog work out for me, probably because of differences in the ingredients, but this was perfect. Thanks for a great recipe!