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    Home ยป Recipes ยป Muffins

    Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffins

    Updated: Mar 28, 2022 โ€ข Published: Mar 28, 2022 by Sam Merritt โ€ข 1,021 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure policy.
    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video

    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!

    cross section of a jumbo, bakery style chocolate chip muffin studded with chocolate chips of varying sizes

    (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

    Ingredients needed to make chocolate chip bakery style muffins arranged on a board

    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

    collage of four photos showing how to prepare the batter for chocolate chip muffins
    1. 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.
    2. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then carefully fold them into the wet ingredients.
    3. Pause when the ingredients are about halfway mixed and add in the chocolate chips. Continue folding until everything is just combined.
    4. 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!

    collage of four photos showing chocolate chip muffin batter being portioned into a muffin tin, sprinkled with sugar, and baked

    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?

    1. Once batter has had time to rest, preheat your oven and line your muffin tin.
    2. 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.
    3. 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!
    4. 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.

    large, golden brown chocolate chip muffins with sugared tops resting on a cookie sheet

    Frequently Asked Questions

    How do you make muffins rise higher?

    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!

    Can I use this recipe with a 12-count muffin tin??

    Yes! They won’t need to bake as long though, so just keep a close eye on them.

    What’s the best way to store muffins?

    Your chocolate chip muffins will stay fresh when stored in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also freeze them!

    jumbo bakery style chocolate chip muffin studded with chocolate chips and topped with coarse sugar

    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

    interior of a fluffy chocolate chip muffin

    Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Muffins

    These are truly bakery-style chocolate chip muffins! Huge, soft, and fluffy with mile-high sugared muffin tops, and so easy to prepare! Be sure to check out the how-to video!
    4.91 from 437 votes
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    Course: Breakfast
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 23 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 38 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6 Jumbo muffins
    Calories: 637kcal
    Author: Sam Merritt

    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

    • Mixing bowls
    • 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

    Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 637kcal | Carbohydrates: 95g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 252mg | Potassium: 214mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 64g | Vitamin A: 384IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 129mg | Iron: 2mg

    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.

    Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sharla

      February 10, 2019 at 11:07 am

      These were excellent! My girls loved them!

      Reply
      • Sam

        February 10, 2019 at 8:13 pm

        I am so glad everyone enjoyed them Sharla! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    2. Michaelee

      February 09, 2019 at 1:34 pm

      5 stars
      I followed this recipe exactly as written, using the lemon juice and milk as a substitute for the buttermilk as stated. OMG – these are delicious. The crunchy chewy muffin top on these is to die for. I will definitely be making them again, possibly with blueberries next time!

      Reply
      • Sam

        February 09, 2019 at 6:36 pm

        I am so glad you enjoyed the muffins! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    3. Jennifer Trush

      February 05, 2019 at 10:36 pm

      Hi Sam!
      Well I’m outside with my batter all covered waiting to go in the oven and I noticed that I was supposed to stir the lemon juice in the milk…. WELL. Lol I must’ve missed that one… I was wondering why it still looked pretty watery… It had a couple curds. Do you think it’ll be ok?

      Reply
      • Sam

        February 09, 2019 at 10:54 pm

        Hi Jennifer! I’m a little delayed getting back to you but it should still be fine even if you didn’t stir! I hope the muffins turned out for you!

        Reply
    4. Leslie

      February 04, 2019 at 7:17 pm

      Weโ€™re making these tonight and I thought I had cornstarch but I donโ€™t. Any substitutions? Thanks

      Reply
      • Sam

        February 04, 2019 at 8:34 pm

        Hi, Leslie! I don’t know of one. I’m sorry. ๐Ÿ™

        Reply
    5. kathryn vasil

      February 04, 2019 at 6:50 pm

      5 stars
      Your Chocolate chip muffins are fabulous, thank you for posting canโ€™t wait to try other versions.

      Reply
      • Sam

        February 04, 2019 at 8:26 pm

        I am so glad you enjoyed them, Kathryn! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    6. Angie

      February 04, 2019 at 3:08 pm

      Is it possible to make these into mini muffins without over cooking them?

      Reply
      • Sam

        February 04, 2019 at 8:37 pm

        Hi, Angie! I think you could make them as mini muffins, although I don’t know how long they would need to bake. Obviously it would be much less than the large muffins need to bake.

        Reply
        • Angeie

          February 09, 2019 at 8:11 pm

          5 stars
          I made this just as regular size muffins, and my children loved them! Even my daughter who claims to hate muffins ate them and then asked for some the next day for her lunch at school. Thanks for a great recipe!

        • Sam

          February 09, 2019 at 11:04 pm

          Aw, I’m so glad to hear this! Thanks for letting me know how they turned out!! <3

    7. diane

      February 04, 2019 at 11:40 am

      Have you tried refrigerating the batter overnight and baking them the next morning? If so, were there any negative results?

      Thanks- can’t wait to make them!

      Reply
      • Sam

        February 04, 2019 at 1:54 pm

        Hi Diane! I have not tried it, but I would be worried they would dry out. ๐Ÿ™

        Reply
    8. Joelle

      February 03, 2019 at 3:14 pm

      5 stars
      I’ve tried quite a bit chocolate chip muffins but these are by far the best.
      Flavorful and moist…all the deliciousness of what a muffin should be. Jumbo is the way to go!
      Thank you for your expertise.
      Joelle

      Reply
      • Sam

        February 03, 2019 at 6:01 pm

        Thank you so much, Joelle! I am so glad you enjoyed them. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    9. Heather Braunstein

      February 01, 2019 at 7:15 pm

      I’m confused…I’ve made your chocolate chip muffin recipe twice last month. I start making it again tonight, but the recipe is pretty different. Did you update it?

      Reply
      • Sam

        February 01, 2019 at 8:00 pm

        Hi Heather! I have not updated the recipe. I am not sure why you are seeing something differently. Are you sure you have always used this one? I do have many muffin recipes. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    10. Brenda

      January 31, 2019 at 1:22 pm

      5 stars
      If you make the smaller 12 count muffins, do you still cook them at 8 minutes on the higher temperature, and them less time at the lower temperature? Or less time on both? They look so good, but with only two old folks in the house, jumbo muffins are too much ๐Ÿ˜‰

      Reply
      • Sam

        January 31, 2019 at 5:47 pm

        Hi Brenda! To make them in a 12 count muffin tin keep the same 8 minutes at the higher temperature, but after reducing the temperature, remove them after 12 minutes not 15. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    11. Row

      January 30, 2019 at 6:37 pm

      5 stars
      I never leave reviews but I had to for these! Seriously the best muffins I have ever made – they are so soft and moist. I used the vinegar + regular milk substitute. I made half with regular chocolate chips, and the other half I made with white chocolate chips and fresh strawberry chunks. Both were amazing.

      Reply
      • Sam

        January 30, 2019 at 8:03 pm

        Thank you so much! โ˜บ๏ธ I am so glad you enjoyed them. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    12. Dani

      January 29, 2019 at 8:15 am

      5 stars
      These are fantastic!!!! We are muffin freaks here and these are by far the best muffins Iโ€™ve ever made. That sugar top… yum. Thanks!!!

      Reply
      • Sam

        January 29, 2019 at 6:30 pm

        I am so glad everyone enjoys them, Dani! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    13. Tiffany

      January 27, 2019 at 12:13 pm

      Do you use semi sweet or milk chocolate chips?

      Reply
      • Sam

        January 27, 2019 at 3:43 pm

        I’ve used both. Either will work but my preference is semisweet.

        Reply
        • Tiffany

          January 27, 2019 at 4:55 pm

          5 stars
          Thank you! My 7 year old and I made them today. They are wonderful!!

        • Sam

          January 27, 2019 at 6:08 pm

          You’re very welcome! I’m so happy to hear you both enjoyed!! ๐Ÿ™‚

    14. Jennifer

      January 26, 2019 at 6:19 pm

      5 stars
      I made these for my kids this morning & they loved them! It makes such a beautiful rich muffin with a tiny Tang from the buttermilk. So delicious!

      Reply
      • Sam

        January 26, 2019 at 7:13 pm

        I’m so glad everyone enjoyed! thank you for telling me how they turned out for you, Jennifer!

        Reply
    15. Maya

      January 23, 2019 at 7:40 pm

      5 stars
      About how long can these last or stay fresh after cooked?

      Reply
      • Sam

        January 23, 2019 at 7:49 pm

        Hi, Maya. They should be fresh for several days in an air tight container at room temperature. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
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    The author (Sam) in blue shirt holding donut Hi, I'm Sam! I'm dedicated to bringing you sweet, simple, and from-scratch dessert recipes. My life may or may not be controlled by my sweet tooth. Send help (or chocolate). Read more about me.

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