Name: Classic Chocolate Muffins
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 210 g (about 1 2/3 cups) all-purpose flour; 40 g (about 1/3 cup) unsweetened cocoa powder; 160 g (about 3/4 cup) granulated sugar; 10 g (about 2 teaspoons) baking powder; 5 g (about 1 teaspoon) baking soda; 3 g (about 1/2 teaspoon) salt; 1 large egg; 240 ml (1 cup) milk; 113 g (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted; 100 g (about 1/2 cup) chocolate chips, plus more for the tops

My youngest dragged a kitchen stool to the counter at six this morning demanding chocolate muffins for breakfast. I usually steer him toward oatmeal, but today I just didn’t have the fight in me.

The early morning kitchen stays completely quiet while the rest of the house sleeps. I keep this recipe simple so I can stir it together before I’ve even finished my coffee.

You get deep flavor without melting baking chocolate. I still drop chocolate chips on the floor every time I make these, and I’m not going to stress about it now.

By seven, the whole kitchen smells like browned butter.

Prep: 10 minutes · Cook: 15 minutes · Total: about 45 minutes (with cooling) · Serves: 12

Why are my chocolate muffins dry and crumbly? Chocolate muffins turn dry when you overmix the batter or leave them in the oven too long.

You want to stop stirring the moment the white streaks of flour disappear into the wet ingredients. Check the centers early to catch them before the crumb dries out.

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What Goes Into Chocolate Muffins

210 g (about 1 2/3 cups) all-purpose flour
40 g (about 1/3 cup) unsweetened cocoa powder
160 g (about 3/4 cup) granulated sugar
10 g (about 2 teaspoons) baking powder
5 g (about 1 teaspoon) baking soda
3 g (about 1/2 teaspoon) salt
1 large egg
240 ml (1 cup) milk
113 g (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
100 g (about 1/2 cup) chocolate chips, plus more for the tops

Ingredient Notes

The fat you choose completely changes the final texture, as the recipe from Mortar and Pastry uses 113 grams of melted butter while Easy Baking calls for oil. I prefer butter because it gives a much richer flavor and creates a crumb that firms up beautifully as it cools.

Your cocoa powder does the heavy lifting for the base flavor here. Standard unsweetened cocoa powder works perfectly, giving you that classic morning bakery taste without any fuss.

The chocolate chips play a huge role, and as Mortar and Pastry points out, scattering extra chips on top before baking is the real trick. Those top chips are what make the muffin read as heavily chocolate before anyone even takes a single bite.

Step-by-Step Directions

Prep the muffin tin. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with 3-ounce paper liners, as none of the recipes I checked mention pan prep but I always use them to prevent sticking. Press the liners down until they sit completely flat against the bottom of each cup.
Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Keep whisking until the mixture turns an even pale brown color with absolutely no white streaks of flour remaining.
Mix the wet ingredients. Crack the large egg into a separate medium bowl, then whisk in the milk and the melted butter. Stir the liquids briskly until the mixture looks totally uniform and takes on a pale yellow color.
Pour wet into dry. Add the wet milk mixture directly into the bowl with your dry cocoa mixture. Use a flexible spatula to gently fold the two together, scraping down the bottom and the sides until the wet and dry components form a single shaggy mass.
Stop mixing early. Fold the batter only until the streaks of flour disappear. A chocolate muffin batter beaten completely smooth bakes tight and domed. You want to stop folding when you see a slightly lumpy, thick batter with no dry powder visible at the bottom.
Add the chocolate chips. Gently fold the 100 grams of chocolate chips into the batter with two or three quick strokes. You want to stop stirring the moment they are distributed evenly throughout the bowl without overworking the mixture.
Fill the paper liners. Spoon the batter evenly into your prepared muffin tin, filling each liner about two-thirds full. Scatter a few extra chocolate chips generously across the top of every single cup until they look fully loaded and ready for the oven.
Bake the chocolate muffins. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 15 minutes. Easy Baking warns that ovens vary, so check them starting at 13 minutes. They are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean without any wet batter clinging to the wood.

Make-Ahead and Leftovers

The recipes I worked from don’t give any storage or freezing guidance, so I stick to my usual routine for baked goods. Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.

The melted butter keeps the crumb moist, but they will start to dry out slightly by day four. If you want to keep them longer, these freeze beautifully if you wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap.

To reheat, unwrap a frozen one and microwave it on half power for about thirty seconds. You can also let them thaw on the counter overnight if you are planning ahead for an early breakfast.

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