These fluffy and moist Double Chocolate Muffins are made entirely from scratch in just over 30 minutes. They’re perfectly chocolatey without being too rich for breakfast. Recipe includes a how-to video!
The Best Chocolate Muffins
These super moist and fluffy double chocolate muffins are one of my favorite ways to eat chocolate for breakfast (chocolate biscotti are always a good option too!). They have a pronounced chocolate flavor (thanks to blooming the cocoa powder) but aren’t too decadent or rich, so they still feel like a muffin rather than a chocolate cupcake!
Today’s recipe is an update to one of my original recipes. While the original version was great, I felt like I could do even better and make the muffins just a bit softer and more chocolatey. Some sour cream and blooming the cocoa with hot water solved my hang-ups with the original recipe, and here we are!
I had many taste-testers compare my original recipe with this one, and while they all liked the original, every single one voted for the new version when comparing the two. If you’re a big fan of the original, don’t worry–I’ve linked to the original recipe in the recipe card. But I really think you’ll love this new and improved version!
What You Need
Here are the key ingredients we’ll be using in our double chocolate muffins:
- Cocoa powder. Use a natural (not dutch-processed!) cocoa powder. This is important since we’re using baking soda; if you’d like to learn more about this distinction, scroll down to the FAQ section or read my natural vs. Dutch process cocoa post.
- Oil. To attain the perfect texture and flavor, we are using oil instead of butter here. Because butter contains water, it actually can dry out our muffins. Typically I like to use a blend of oil and butter for moisture and flavor (I do this in my chocolate chip muffins), but in this case we have plenty of other elements contributing to the flavor of the muffins (mainly the chocolate and sour cream), so we can nix the butter and still have flavorful results. Any neutral cooking oil (such as vegetable or canola) will work here.
- Sour cream. Like in my chocolate banana bread and blueberry muffins, we’ll be adding some sour cream here too. This (very subtly) adds to the flavor of the muffins, but more importantly, it helps to keep them tender and moist. You could also substitute plain, full-fat Greek yogurt instead.
- Chocolate chips. I like to use a blend of mini and regular-sized semi-sweet chocolate chips, but you can use whatever you like.
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 Double Chocolate Muffins
- Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
- In a separate heatproof bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and hot water (we’re “blooming” it here to develop the flavor, if you’ve made my zebra cake you’ll remember this step from the chocolate stripes!)
- Whisk in the oil until combined. I like to add the oil first because, even though it separates from the water, it helps to cool down the chocolate mixture before we add the sour cream and eggs, which could be negatively affected (they could cook or curdle if the water was still hot).
- Now ad the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla extract and whisk until combined.
- Fold together the wet and dry ingredients until they’re just about 50% combined.
- Add the chocolate chips and continue gently folding until just combined.
- Divide the batter into a lined muffin tin (remember, this recipe makes 18 muffins so you’ll need two tins, or to wait for the first batch of muffins to cool so that you can use it for your next 6 muffins!) and top with additional chocolate chips.
- Bake for 17-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
SAM’S TIP: Adding the chocolate chips when the batter is 50% combined helps us avoid over-mixing. Over-mixing makes for tough, dense, dry muffins that don’t rise above their muffin liners. Use a spatula (not a mixer!) and mix until just combined, then stop!
Frequently Asked Questions
This will happen if you over-mixed your batter or over-baked your muffins. Remember to use a gentle hand to fold the wet and dry ingredients together and bake until your toothpick comes out clean or preferably with a few moist crumbs (just try to avoid the chocolate chips!). This recipe is designed to be very moist, so if followed properly, your muffins won’t be dry.
If you don’t have sour cream, full-fat plain greek yogurt will work instead. I don’t recommend leaving it out entirely though.
I don’t recommend it. This recipe relies on the acidic nature of natural cocoa powder to help activate the baking soda. Sour cream is acidic, so it helps, but it won’t do everything we need it to. Dutch process cocoa is alkaline, so if you use it, your baking soda won’t fully activate and your muffins could end up flatter than they should be.
SAM’S TIP: I like to use an ice cream scoop (affiliate link) to portion my muffin batter into liners. It’s less messy and more precise!
Are you team chocolate-for-breakfast? If not, these double chocolate muffins may convert you ๐
Enjoy!
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
Double Chocolate Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 โ cups (208 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 ยฝ teaspoons baking soda
- ยฝ teaspoon table salt
- ยฝ cup (50 g) natural cocoa powder
- ยฝ cup (118 ml) very hot or boiling water
- ยฝ cup (118 ml) canola or vegetable oil
- 1 cup (240 g) sour cream (see note)
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (340 g) semisweet chocolate chips divided (I like to use a blend of mini and regular-sized chocolate chips)
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F (190C) and line a 12-count muffin tin (see note) with paper liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.1 โ cups (208 g) all-purpose flour, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, 1 ยฝ teaspoons baking soda, ยฝ teaspoon table salt
- Pour cocoa powder into a separate heatproof bowl or large measuring cup. Carefully pour very hot or boiling water overtop and whisk until mixture is smooth.ยฝ cup (50 g) natural cocoa powder, ยฝ cup (118 ml) very hot or boiling water
- Add oil to cocoa powder mixture and whisk in (it will separate, this is fine) then add sour cream, eggs, and vanilla extract and whisk until thoroughly combined,ยฝ cup (118 ml) canola or vegetable oil, 1 cup (240 g) sour cream, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and use a spatula to gently fold together until about halfway combined. Add 1 ยฝ cups (255g) of chocolate chips and continue to fold batter together until chocolate chips are well distributed and batter is just combined.2 cups (340 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- Portion batter into muffin tin, filling โ of the way full, then sprinkle muffin tops with remaining chocolate chips.
- Bake in center rack of 375F (190C) oven for 17-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist fudgy crumbs.
- Allow muffins to cool in their tin for 10-15 minutes before carefully removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
Storing
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Muffins may also be wrapped and frozen for several months.Sour Cream
You may substitute full-fat plain Greek yogurt instead.Muffin Tin
This recipe makes 18 muffins and a typical muffin tin holds only 12. If you have two tins, divide the batter into the two tins and bake one tray at a time. If you only have one tin, bake the first batch, allow the muffins to cool 10 minutes, carefully remove them to a cooling rack and allow the tin to cool completely before baking the remaining batter.Original Recipe
For those of you who are diehard fans of the original recipe, you can find the original recipe here.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.
Joelle Anthony
Hi, thank you for your amazing recipes!
I would like to try these in 6 jumbo sized. Do I need to add any baking powder to my mix to help with the rise? I noticed the recipe only calls for baking soda.
Also what should the temp be for jumbo and for how long? Thank you, Joelle
Sam
Hi, Joelle! I would not add anything to the muffins and unfortunately I have not made them in a large muffin tin so I can’t advise on how long to bake them. Sorry ๐
Brittany Ortiz
This recipe is so delicious. Just made them. It made 17 muffins, and I baked them for 16 minutes, and they turned out a tiny bit overdone, so watch out for that. I have a brand new oven that tends to cook more quickly. Also I used white whole wheat flour since that’s all I had. I know it would have been better with regular all purpose, bur all the chocolate hides the whole wheat taste pretty well – though not as well as banana muffins do, but maybe that’s why these came out a tiny bit dry for me. Also, I used 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup stevia.. maybe that’s the missing moisture. Good grief, I’m one of those people who constantly tweaks recipes LOL I’m sorry. These turned out plenty sweet for us and I can’t notice the stevia flavor at all. Thanks for the recipe! I couldn’t bear to buy 12 huge muffins at costco — this is a great copycat!
Sam
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed, Brittany! Ad I appreciate you sharing your tweaks! Have a wonderful weekend! <3
JBeer
I was unsure about trying this recipe because I’ve used sour cream before in chocolate muffins and didn’t like how they turned out. Since I was out of yogurt I decided to give this recipe a chance. These muffins rose nicely, looked lovely, were light and fluffy with a nice crisp top and tasted delicious. Preparation was straightforward and didn’t take much time. Thanks for the great recipe!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!! Thank you for commenting! ๐
Lisa
Hands down the best double chocolate chip muffin recipe EVER!! I went by the weight of ingredients versus cup measure and the results were stellar!! My son has a gluten allergy so I subbed namaste gluten free flour for ap flour and added a tbsp of espresso powder to boost the color and enhance flavor. I was surprised at how perfect the tops domed and how moist and tender these turned out . Thanks for sharing this go to recipe!!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them, Lisa! Thanks for the feedback on making them gluten free. ๐
Taylor
If I made these dairy-free, what would be a substitute for the sour cream? Thanks.
Sam
Hi, Taylor. Unfortunately, I don’t know of a good substitute. If you can find a dairy free greek yogurt (full fat), it may work, but I haven’t tried it so I don’t know for sure if it will turn out.
Taylor
Thanks anyway!
Rebekah
Made these just now. They are perfect! I only used 1/2 cup of sugar. I also used greek yogurt instead of sc and coconut oil. Thes were exactly what i was craving!!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them! โบ๏ธ
Allie
Wow. Just wow! These are amazing! So fluffy and tasty, in love. Easy to make too. It’s a hit with hubby and I, but my son is not sold. Oh well, more muffins for me!
Sam
More muffins for you sounds like a good thing! I am glad you enjoyed them. โบ๏ธ
busybee
I made these yesterday and I have to say that they are THE BEST chocolate chocolate muffins I have ever had in my entire life. They remind me of the ones I used to eat as a kid. Soft, moist, chocolately goodness, and believe it or not they taste even better the second day! The only changes that I made were: cutting the recipe in half to make a smaller batch and cooked them 10 minutes longer. Thank you for this recipe!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them. โบ๏ธ
Sisrra
Do you let them cool in pan or take them out?
Sam
Let them cool in the pan. โบ๏ธ
Renee
These muffins are my grandsons favorite he’s 5 but LOVES chocolate
Sam
I am so glad to hear they were such a hit. โบ๏ธ
Terri C.
Thank you for the recipe. I just made half of it. I’d use one less tablespoon for half next time.Very good and easy to make.
Z
These look delicious! I’m want to know if this recipe could be halved? If it can, how much sour cream would I use? And if I used in a mini muffin pan, what would oven temperature and baking time be?
Sam
The recipe can be halved. The amount of sour cream would be 1/3 of a cup or 75g. The temperature for baking in a mini muffin tin would be the same, but as far as baking time, I don’t know exactly how long they would need to bake for. โบ๏ธ
Aldijana
And how many muffins do you get at the end
Sam
About 18 muffins. ๐
Michelle
So you use sweetened or unsweetened cocoa powder?
Sam
Unsweetened cocoa powder is used. ๐
Kasia
I just made these muffins. I was reading the comments while they were baking and was sceptical about those reviews that saidโbest muffins I ever hadโ and so on. Well, these are the best muffins Iโve ever had. ๐
I donโt know what makes them this fluffy but they melt in your mouth. Very easy and quick to make. I used butter and coconut sugar. I will be making them again!!! Thank you!
Sam
I LOVEEE how fluffy they are! I’m glad you enjoyed them!
Virginia
I never use canola or vegetable oil, which isn’t actually vegetable oil. It’s just soybean oil. Blegh! I only use coconut oil, and in my experience it always makes things really moist; you should totally give it a try! ๐ This recipe sounds so delicious, it’ll be my first time making muffins other than pumpkin muffins from a box. And thanks for the tip on not over mixing them! I always try to be thorough, but this time I will not be quite so. I really hope they turn out as good as your pictures look! ๐
Sam
I will definitely give the coconut oil a try Virginia! I hope they turned out for you!
Carmyn
Watch for cocunut oil, please research the latest findings. It became a fad just like anything else does, but now doctors recommend to use it sparingly.