Description
These bakery-style double chocolate muffins are tall, moist, and bursting with rich chocolate flavor. With a perfectly domed top and a tender crumb, they are easy to make and ideal for a chocolate lover's treat.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (250g)
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar (250g)
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder (10g)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda (3g)
- 1 tsp fine salt (6g)
- 1/2 cup dark or Dutch-processed cocoa powder (50g)
- 2 tsp instant espresso or coffee (optional)
Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 cup water, warm (120g)
- 3/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature (180g)
- 1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil (75g)
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled (56g)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature (112g)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (4g)
Additional
- 1 cup chopped milk chocolate or milk chocolate chips (175g)
- 1/2 cup coarse sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven and prepare the muffin pan: Preheat your oven to 425°F (218°C). Line a muffin pan with 16 paper liners to get ready for the batter.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and fine salt. Set aside.
- Combine cocoa and warm water: In a separate bowl, whisk the warm water with dark cocoa powder and optional instant espresso until smooth. This step activates the cocoa for an intense chocolate flavor.
- Add wet ingredients to cocoa mixture: Mix buttermilk, vegetable or canola oil, cooled melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract into the cocoa mixture until fully combined.
- Mix dry and wet ingredients: Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix just until combined. Do not overmix—some small chunks are fine; the batter shouldn’t be completely smooth.
- Fold in chocolate chips: Gently fold in the chopped milk chocolate or chocolate chips evenly throughout the batter.
- Fill muffin cups: Divide the batter evenly among the 16 muffin cups, filling each about five-sixths full. Optionally, sprinkle coarse sugar and add a few pieces of chocolate on top of each muffin for extra texture and sweetness.
- Bake at high temperature briefly: Bake the muffins for 3 minutes at 425°F (218°C) to achieve a nice rise and domed top.
- Reduce heat and finish baking: Without removing the muffins, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) and continue baking for 12 to 14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs (avoid confusing melted chocolate with wet batter).
- Cool the muffins: Let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Do not overmix the batter to keep muffins tender and fluffy.
- Warm water enhances the cocoa flavor by activating it.
- Instant espresso or coffee powder is optional but boosts the chocolate flavor.
- Coarse sugar sprinkled on top adds a crunchy texture.
- Baking at high temperature initially creates the classic domed muffin top.
- Check for doneness with a toothpick; melted chocolate inside may look like wet batter.
- Use room temperature eggs and buttermilk for the best texture.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Muffins
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
