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. ๐คฏ 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 donโt have the real stuff on hand, but real buttermilk adds moisture and thickness that isnโt 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 โ 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!
Letโs bake together! Iโll 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
- ยผ cup (60 ml) canola oil may substitute vegetable oil
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 egg white room temperature preferred
- 1 ยฝ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ยฝ cup buttermilk room temperature preferred
- 1 ยพ cup (220 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- ยฝ 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
- โ 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, ยผ cup (60 ml) canola oil, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- Add egg, egg white, and vanilla extract. ย Whisk together thoroughly, until all ingredients are well-combined, then stir in buttermilk until combined.1 large egg + 1 egg white, 1 ยฝ teaspoons vanilla extract, ยฝ cup buttermilk
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, corn starch, and salt.1 ยพ cup (220 g) all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 2 teaspoons corn starch, ยฝ 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. ย
- 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.โ 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.ยStoring
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.
Ryan Adams
I tried these and theyโre just so delicious! I made them again but added frozen blueberries, they weโre great also. I think the blueberries made them too moist, they kinda got gummy/sticky on top and very crumbly. Should I scale back on liquids? Inexperienced home baker here, any suggestions?
Sam
Hi Ryan! I have a blueberry muffin recipe that is pretty close to the same recipe that you could try instead. ๐
Carleah
Hi from the Philippines! Made your Bakery muffins today and they turned out great. So happy that it turned out looking exactly as yours posted here ๐. My sons love them so im sure ill be making them again soon. Thank you for this recipe!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Carleah! ๐
Rebecca Young
Just made and tried one. The boyfriend surprisingly had one, he never eats any baked goods. We both love, just a little too sweet. I will defiantly be making this recipe again. Thank you for the awesome recipe.
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Rebecca! ๐
Katherine
How would I modify this recipe to make chocolate chocolate chip muffins
Sam
Hi Katherine! I actually have a double chocolate muffin recipe you can use. ๐
Krista
I found this recipe a few weeks ago and I have been wanting to make them. I made my first batch on Monday, and just made my second batch today. They are my favorite!! I have a question, can I freeze these, as today’s recipe made a lot more than what my family can eat in a week or so. If freezing is possible how do you recommend I do so?
Sam
I’m so glad you have been enjoying, Krista! Yes you can freeze them! Let them cool completely and then freeze in an airtight container (like Tupperware or a large ziploc bag). To thaw just set at room temperature until thawed.
Che
This is a great recipe! I’ve been cravinf for chocolate chip muffin and been searching for a good recipe. Although when you search on google, this recipe doesn’t receive as much views, this is different! That’s why I decided to follow this and I made the right decision!!! I followed the exact recipe including the tips,, except for the chocolate chip– i used 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 2/3 cup chopped chocolates. Also, I sifted my dry ingredients and I came up with the best chocolate chip muffins! My daughter, who is not so fond of muffins, ate 3 pieces in one sitting! I like the addition of sugar on top. It makes the muffins crispy in top but soft inside. Thanks for sharing your recipe and your knowledge in baking!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them so much! ๐
Annie
These are the best muffins Iโve ever tasted. So gooey and delicious!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the muffins, Annie! ๐
Eronn
I’ve made these twice and they turned out delicious both times! The first time I accidentally used a full cup of buttermilk, and while the mixture was more soupy, I think the muffins themselves might have come out even better! Maybe more cake than muffin though…
Regardless, thank you for sharing. I will definitely be making these again.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the muffins! ๐
Patti
Thank you so much Sam. Your recipes are amazing and thanks for your generosity in sharing them for free! My family loves your recipes!
Sam
Thank you so much, Patti! I am so glad you have enjoyed everything. ๐
Sue Brown
Fabulous! Perfect texture. I have been searching for years to find a recipe like this. The addition of corn starch for a more tender crumb was a new piece of information for me and I have been baking a very long time. Thank you so much. Now, maybe a silly question….. May I use any of your muffin recipes for jumbo muffins? Would I simply use the jumbo pans and bake the first 8 minutes at 425 degrees and then the next 15 or so minutes at 350 degrees?
Sam
Hi Sue! I am so glad you enjoyed these muffins so much! Yes you could make any of the muffins in a jumbo pan and follow those same baking temps and times. ๐
Su
Hey Sam!
Sorry just to add on, although I loved it so much, I don’t know why my muffin tops were cracked and a bit hard. I want them to be soft and fluffy the next time round, like yours in the pictures! What could be the cause and what can I do to prevent that from happening?
Sam
It sounds like they may have been baked just a minute or two too long, or if they were baked too close to the heating element that could also do it (I recommend baking in the center of your oven). I hope that helps!
Su
Hey Sam, my oven is really small and the insides of the muffins were baked well, itโs just the tops that were cracked and a little hard ๐
Would baking it a minute or two less affect the insides too much?
Sam
I think I would try a minute or two less. Use the toothpick test and make sure it isn’t coming out with wet batter (a few moist crumbs are fine if not ideal though!) and you should be golden ๐
Su
I made these about a week ago and my family and I loved it!! I even tried putting some nutella in the middle of the batter and they came out so good! Kept the extras we had left in the fridge and it was still so yummy the next day. Thank you for sharing this recipe Sam ๐
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed! Thank you for commenting, Su!
ChrisWish
What does the corn starch do?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Chris! Cornstarch is used to help breakdown the harsh proteins of the flour, creating a softer more tender muffin. ๐
Sunshine baker
Will definitely make these again!!! They are so good. I let them rise for 15 minutes. They took 17 min to bake at 350F using the yellow scoop. It made 15 muffins. I didnโt use the sugar on top since my kids donโt like that.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that they were a hit and everyone enjoyed them! Thank you for trying my recipe. ๐
Michele
Five Stars These muffins are excellent. Definitely worth the little extra effort necessary to make them. I didn’t have buttermilk so I followed the directions to make my own. This recipe is definitely a keeper. Moist and delicious!!!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Michele! I am so glad that you enjoyed them. ๐
Kate
These really were incredibly delicious. Definitely will be my go-to! The tops rose so beautifully and my kids devoured them – my 7yo moaned after the first bite, he was so in love!
What do you think about making them as mini muffins? Would you keep the time at 425 the same or shorten?
Sam
I’m so happy to hear this, Kate! Ooh, I have not tried these as mini muffins but I would definitely shorten the time at 425. I’m not positive how long they will take to bake honestly, if you find a “sweet spot” for how long it takes would you let me know? I’m sure others would love to know as well!