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Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffins

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Sweet, soft, and fluffy bakery style chocolate chip muffins.

Bakery style chocolate chip muffins with big fluffy muffin tops || Sugar Spun Run

At the time of this writing, if you google “chocolate chip muffins”, you will get 1,260,000 results.  That’s over a million results, friends.

A million chocolate chip muffin recipes and I have the nerve to suggest that I have something new for you, something that’s better than a million other recipes.

But that’s exactly what I’ve got for you today, and considering that you’re here and maybe (hopefully?) you’ve been following along with my recipes, I’m going to assume that you and I have similar taste, and you are going to love this recipe as much as I do.

Bakery style chocolate chip muffins with big fluffy muffin tops || Sugar Spun Run

As usual, this recipe went through many different versions before settling in its final form.

I wanted these chocolate chip muffins to be soft (thank you, cornstarch, for finally solving that for me!), fluffy (an extra, well-stirred egg white), and definitely not dry (do not underestimate the moistening power of buttermilk, it helps give these muffins the best texture you could ever ask for).

I wanted them to be big and proud, like something you’d see in a New York City bakery display.

Bakery style chocolate chip muffins with big fluffy muffin tops || Sugar Spun Run

I spend a lot of my time reading about the science behind baking, but for the life of me I couldn’t get these muffins to have nice, full, rounded muffin tops, no matter what I did (well, I should say I couldn’t get them to have the muffin tops I was looking for and the perfect texture/flavor.)

I finally found this article from The Kitchen Whisperer, which solved all of my problems.  Evidently, if you start with your oven on a high temperature and then drop the temperature about a third of the way through baking, your muffin tops will spring to life and your muffin bottoms won’t burn or dry out (this was another thing I’d been struggling with).

Sweet muffin top perfection.

Bakery style chocolate chip muffins with big fluffy muffin tops || Sugar Spun Run

Mondays call for muffins.  Big, soft, fluffy muffins with extra chocolate and well-sugared tops.

I hope you’ll try these out and let me know in the comments how you like them, and how they stack up against the one million-plus other chocolate chip muffin recipes out there.

Bakery style chocolate chip muffins with big fluffy muffin tops || Sugar Spun Run

Enjoy!

Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffins

Soft, fluffy, chocolate chip studded muffins with sugar shellacked tops.
4.99 from 87 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 7 minutes
Total Time: 22 minutes
Servings: 6 Jumbo muffins
Calories: 421kcal
Author: Sam Merritt

Ingredients

  • 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled at least 5 minutes (57g)
  • ¼ cup canola oil may substitute vegetable oil (60ml)
  • 1 cup sugar (200g) (granulated sugar)
  • 1 large egg + 1 egg white room temperature preferred
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk* room temperature preferred -- please see note for buttermilk substitute
  • 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 220g
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons corn starch
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 cup chocolate chips I used a mix of mini and regular sized, but you can use either or a combination (175g)
  • 1/3 cup additional granulated sugar, coarse sugar preferred for topping (67g)

Instructions

  • Combine butter and canola oil in a large bowl.  Stir well.
  • Stir in sugar.
  • Add egg, egg white, and vanilla extract.  Stir very well, until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.
  • Add buttermilk and stir well.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, corn starch, and 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.
  • Cover bowl with a dry towel and allow batter to sit 15 minutes**
  • Preheat oven to 425F (218C) and line muffin tin with paper liners.  
  • Once oven has preheated, portion batter into 6-cavity large muffin tin (you may also use regular, 12 count muffin tin, you will just need to bake them for less time), filling each tin all the way to the top with batter (without overflowing).
  • Sprinkle tops generously with sugar and place muffin tin in preheated oven.
  • Bake on 425F (218C) for 8 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 350 (177C) (do not open the oven door or remove the muffins, just leave them in and reduce the temperature) and bake another 15 minutes, or until tops are just beginning to turn golden brown (if you are using a 12-count muffin tin rather than jumbo-sized, these will not need to bake as long.  Start checking your muffins after 7-8 minutes on 350F (177C).
  • Allow to cool, and enjoy!

Notes

*If you don't happen to have buttermilk, you can use this substitute:  pour 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice or vinegar into a measuring cup and then fill up to the 1/2 cup line with regular milk.  Stir well and allow mixture to sit for at least 5 minutes (it will thicken) before using.
**This is optional, it helps give the muffin tops a higher rise but you can certainly put them straight in the oven without waiting and they'll still taste delicious.  Ideally you would let the batter set at least one hour, but I found 15 minutes gives me a decent rise (the muffins in the photographs were allowed 15 minutes) while still not dragging out the process too much.  
 
Special thanks to The Kitchen Whisperer for the great tips that helped make these muffins truly "bakery style"!

Nutrition

Calories: 421kcal
Tried this recipe?Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!

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Bakery style chocolate chip muffins with big fluffy muffin tops || Sugar Spun Run

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Comments

  1. Chelsea says

    September 27, 2018 at 5:26 pm

    If you do 12 muffins, do you still cook for 8 min at higher before decreasing the temp and cooking until done? Or should the amount of time at the higher temp be decreased as well?

    Reply

    • Sam says

      September 27, 2018 at 9:35 pm

      Hi Chelsea! You still do the higher temperature for 8 minutes and then after you lower the temperature start checking them around 8ish minutes. Hope that helps! 😃

      Reply

      • Chelsea says

        September 27, 2018 at 10:23 pm


        Thanks! Made them in the 12 muffin pan tonight and they are delicious! Followed the recipe exactly and probably let the batter sit for closer to 30 min. Excited to try the jumbo sometime!

  2. Austen says

    September 24, 2018 at 1:25 am


    This chocolate chip muffin is the best I’ve found on the internet. I’ve tried many other recipes and this one turns out perfect each time. They are the first to go at parties and my roommates can’t get enough of them!

    I love how easy it is to make it!

    📝I’ve done it without the buttermilk and used the substitute. The substitute works just fine.

    📝I’ve used mini and regular chocolate chips. Mini are my favorite.

    📝Letting the batter rise has made a noticeable difference and I do it when I have time. Don’t sweat it if you don’t let it rise.

    📝 I’ve used the “jumbo” 6 count tin and the 12 count tin. Read the notes she left if you are using the 12 count tin. Both types of tins turn out perfect each time.

    📝 I add less sugar but that’s just me.

    Thank you for the awesome recipe Sugar Spun Run! I love making these when I am stressed or when I need to bring a food item to a party!

    Reply

    • Sam says

      September 24, 2018 at 4:33 pm

      Hi Austen! I am so glad you enjoy these muffins! Baking them always helps with my stress levels as well. 😃 Thank you for the kind feedback. 😃

      Reply

    • Sam says

      August 13, 2018 at 10:04 pm

      Honestly I haven’t tried freezing the batter, I’m not sure how that would hold up… the muffins freeze well after baking, though!

      Reply

  6. Deborah Rojek says

    July 23, 2018 at 9:21 pm


    Thanks for all of the research you did to create a perfect banana muffin. I was so impressed that I immediately shared with my three daughters! I’m looking forward to baking the chocolate chip muffins!

    Reply

  7. Elizabeth Mueller says

    July 21, 2018 at 9:37 pm

    I’m going to try this – excited – what about adding pecans? My family loves anything with nuts.

    Reply

  11. Shelley says

    July 12, 2018 at 8:54 pm

    During the warm summer months, I’d like to make these in my mini muffin maker. Any idea if you could make a half a recipe?

    Reply

  13. Ms. Burton says

    July 1, 2018 at 11:03 pm


    I rarely comment on recipes. I bake often and THIS is the recipe to follow! No changes, no alterations …..just stick to this young woman’s recipe. These were the best mffins I have made. I will be deleting my other recipes. Thank you!

    Reply

  14. Katrina says

    June 19, 2018 at 11:48 am


    I didn’t let anything come to room temperature and I didn’t allow them to rise at all and they still came out perfect. Absolutely delicious 😋

    Reply

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