These tender Nutella Muffins have chocolatey centers and pretty swirled crowns. They bake with tall, fluffy tops, thanks to my special (but easy!) technique. Recipe includes a how-to video!
Stuffed & Swirled Nutella Muffins
If you’re Nutella fan, then you’re probably totally fine with spreading it on crepes, fruit, or let’s be real–eating it straight out of the jar. All of those options are fine, but the ultimate Nutella experience comes in the form of Nutella muffins! Picture it now: soft, tender vanilla-flavored muffins with a rich and gooey chocolate/hazelnut filling and sparkly, sugared Nutella swirled tops…heavenly, right?
The base of this recipe is very similar to what I use for my blueberry muffins. It’s sturdy (but still soft) enough to hold the Nutella filling, which minimizes the risk of the tops collapsing in on themselves (a common issue with muffins that have a filling). It’s also not overly sweet, which really complements the pops of white chocolate throughout.
What you’ll love about my recipe:
- No mixer needed!
- Carefully designed to be perfectly moist and flavorful.
- Ready to eat in under an hour!
- Yields nice and tall muffin tops, thanks to my easy technique (it’s the same one I use in my banana muffins!).
What You Need
Let’s highlight a few of the important ingredients that make these Nutella muffins so special:
- Butter & oil. This combination adds the best flavor (butter) and moisture (oil) to cake, cupcakes, and other quick breads. I use it often because it just works so well!
- Sour cream. I love using sour cream in my recipes for depth of flavor, moisture, and tenderness. It works similarly to buttermilk, but I honestly have been preferring the sour cream lately! If you’re not a fan of sour cream or need a substitute, scroll down to the FAQ section below.
- White chocolate chips. White chocolate chips add a nice punch of sweetness to the muffin base and complement the Nutella nicely.
- Nutella. Use real, name brand Nutella. I haven’t tried this recipe with a homemade or “natural” chocolate hazelnut spread and don’t know what your results will be like if you do.
SAM’S TIP: Don’t over-mix your batter! This batter is very thick, so be gentle (no mixers here!). Once your wet and dry ingredients are combined, stop mixing. Over-mixed muffin batter will create dry, dense Nutella muffins.
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 Nutella Muffins
- Combine the dry ingredients – Whisk together the dry ingredients and sugar, then set aside.
- Combine the wet ingredients – Combine the butter and oil in a separate bowl, then stir in the egg and vanilla.
- Stir until 50% combined – Stir in the sour cream, then gradually fold this mixture into the dry ingredients until 50% combined.
- Add the chocolate chips – Add the white chocolate chips, then continue mixing until completely combined. Don’t over-mix!
Like my chocolate chip muffins, Nutella muffins bake at two different temperatures. Starting them at a higher temperature and then dropping it (without opening the oven!) creates tall, bakery-style muffin tops.
- Add half the batter – Fill your muffin liners halfway with batter and make a divot in each. Place 1 tablespoon of Nutella in each divot.
- Add remaining batter – Smooth the remaining batter on top of the Nutella dollops.
- Swirl the Nutella – Warm the remaining Nutella until fluid, then drizzle and swirl it on top of each muffin.
- Bake and enjoy! Bake the muffins for 8-9 minutes at 425F, then reduce the heat to 350F and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before removing.
SAM’S TIP: The muffin liners in today’s pictures are actually homemade! Check out my post on how to make muffin liners out of parchment paper if you’d like to make some for yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! I’d suggest wrapping your Nutella muffins in plastic wrap or foil (or both!) and storing in an airtight bag or container. They’ll keep this way for several months.
I promise you won’t taste the sour cream in the end result, so if you’re worried about that, don’t be! If you really must skip it, you can use full-fat plain greek yogurt instead.
Yes! Use my streusel topping recipe and bake as directed below. You won’t see the pretty Nutella swirls this way, but the flavor will be worth the sacrifice!
Love extra indulgent muffins, especially ones with a surprise inside? Try my blueberry cream cheese muffins, pumpkin cream cheese muffins, or peanut butter filled chocolate muffins next!
Enjoy!
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
Nutella Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups (220 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 4 Tablespoons (60 ml) unsalted butter melted
- ¼ cup (60 ml) avocado, canola or vegetable oil
- 1 large egg room temperature preferred
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
For Filling & Topping
- 1 cup Nutella divided (¾ cup for filling, ¼ cup for swirl)
- Coarse or regular granulated sugar for sprinkling, optional
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F (215C) and line a 12-count muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined.1 ¾ cups (220 g) all-purpose flour, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, 2 Tablespoons cornstarch, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon table salt
- In a separate bowl or measuring cup, whisk together melted butter and vegetable oil. Whisk in egg and vanilla extract until combined, then stir in sour cream.4 Tablespoons (60 ml) unsalted butter, ¼ cup (60 ml) avocado, canola or vegetable oil, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 cup sour cream
- Add sour cream mixture to dry ingredients and use a spatula to gently fold together until about 50% combined.
- Add white chocolate chips, then continue to gently stir batter until completely combined (don’t over-mix or muffins will be dense and dry).1 cup white chocolate chips
- Fill prepared muffin liners about halfway full with muffin batter. Use a clean small spoon to make a divot or small nest in the center of each liner.
- Take your ¾ cup of Nutella and dollop a Tablespoon of Nutella into the nest that you created in each muffin tin. Use your spoon to gently nestle it into the divot.1 cup Nutella
- Top muffins evenly with remaining batter and use spoon to gently work muffin batter evenly around Nutella filling. The muffin cups will be fairly full but you will use all or nearly all the batter.
- Briefly warm remaining (¼ cup) Nutella in the microwave until it is easily stirrable with a spoon. Drizzle Nutella over the muffin tops and use a butter knife to gently swirl over the surface. Top with coarse sugar, if using.Coarse or regular granulated sugar
- Transfer muffin tin to center rack of preheated oven and bake for 8-9 minutes, then, without opening the oven door, reduce heat to 350F and bake an additional 10-12 minutes, until muffin tops are beginning to turn light golden brown and muffins are baked through.
- Allow to cool in muffin tin for 5-10 mins before carefully lifting and transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely before enjoying.
Notes
Storing
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Muffins taste best warm, so popping them in the microwave for a few seconds helps the texture of leftovers, but keep in mind the Nutella filling can become very hot very quickly so bite in with caution!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.
This recipe was originally published in 2016, I’ve updated the recipe and photos and added a how-to video.
Jakub
i love how she showed everything in grams and also when she was explaning the method i like how she still added the ingredients below
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Jakub! 🙂
Deniz
I LOVE the taste, they are delicious! but my muffins didn’t stay high on top😕
Sam
Hi Deniz! Sounds like everything went right here. 🙂 These aren’t going to be a tall muffin. They shouldn’t sink but they won’t have nice domed tops. 🙂
Ann
Can I add semisweet chocolate chips instead of the white chocolate?
Sam
Hi Ann! That will work just fine. 🙂
Jean
Thought I had all ingredients needed but was missing the white chocolate cios. Used cinnamon chips instead. They were delicious.