For a true chocolate lover’s chocolate chip muffin recipe, look no further than this version from award-winning cookbook author Dorie Greenspan. While most bakery-style muffins make do with just a handful of milk chocolate or semisweet chocolate chips, here chocolate is added at no less than three stages: Cocoa powder is whisked into the dry ingredients; melted chocolate is stirred in with the wet ingredients; and irregular chocolate chunks are added to the finished muffin batter. The results resemble little rounds of chocolate cake—with rich color, a tender crumb, and slightly shiny muffin tops—but they’re not nearly as sweet as you’d expect from something that looks so much like dessert. According to Greenspan, these treats straddle the divide between cupcakes and muffins, and they’re equally welcome at tea, brunch, or the breakfast table.
Using chopped bars instead of regular or mini chocolate chips creates a bake with melty pools of chocolate (most chips are engineered to keep their shape). If you’d rather dispense with the fuss of chopping, you could sub in our favorite chocolate chips, which are differently shaped than the standard variety and also transform into satisfying chocolate pools.
Greenspan notes in the instructions you can use paper liners in your muffin tins, but you can also grease the wells with a little butter, vegetable oil, or cooking spray. She also champions silicone muffin liners, which are nonstick without any help from outside forces.
This recipe was adapted from ‘Baking: From My Home to Yours’ by Dorie Greenspan. Buy the full book on Amazon.
To make mini muffins, you’ll need to adjust the cook time. Start testing the muffins with a cake tester or toothpick around the 10-minute mark, and pull them out as soon as the tester comes out clean.
Recipe information
Total Time
45 minutes
Yield
Makes 12 muffins
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 375°F. Butter or spray the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan or fit the molds with silicone or paper muffin liners. Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet.
Step 2
Melt the butter and half the chopped chocolate together in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water; or do this in a microwave. Remove from the heat.
Step 3
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk the buttermilk, egg, and vanilla extract together until well combined. Pour the liquid ingredients and the melted butter and chocolate over the dry ingredients and, with the whisk or a rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend. Don't worry about being thorough—a few lumps are better than overmixing the batter. Stir in the remaining chopped chocolate. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.
Step 4
Bake for 20 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool 5 minutes before carefully removing each muffin from its mold.
Editor’s note: This recipe originally appeared on Epicurious in September 2006. Head this way for our best chocolate desserts →
Recipe notes
Back to topSee Related Recipes and Cooking Tips
11 Of Our Favorite Dorie Greenspan Recipes
From double chocolate chunk muffins to stuffed pumpkin.47 Breakfast Breads to Help You Rise and Shine
Loaves, scones, muffins, and biscuits to make any morning a little sunnier.37 Bake Sale Ideas That’ll Sell Out In a Snap
Expect crowds to gather around your table.23 Muffin Recipes Worth Waking Up For
Our virtual bakery case is right this way.
