Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffins

You know those giant muffins with crunchy tops you see in every coffee shop? This recipe is for those classic bakery style chocolate chip muffins.

The first time I was in New York I fell in love! What got my attention the most was that everything was HUGE. The stores, the streets, the buildings. The muffins! They were bigger and taller than any muffin I’ve ever seen before. My favorite morning routine was watching the hustle and bustle of the city from a street cafe, and enjoying a cup of coffee and a giant blueberry or chocolate muffin.

How to make bakery style chocolate chip muffins

So far I’ve tried many different muffin recipes, searching desperately for just the right one. Most of the recipes produced more of a cakey texture, but nothing like the real deal – moist, but no too moist, slightly sweet muffins with a bread-like crumb and crunchy tops.

1. Preheat oven to 425°F/220°C. Grease 12 muffin cups or line them with liner papers.
2. In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a medium bowl whisk the egg, buttermilk/milk, oil and vanilla extract, and whisk until combined. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and fold with a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula just until combined. Do not overmix. The batter should be thick and lumpy. Fold in chocolate chips.
4. Divide the mixture between the muffin cups almost all the way to the top. Bake for 3 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 375°F/190°C and continue to bake for an additional 12-17 minutes (for standard size muffins; see the above post notes for jumbo and mini muffin baking times) until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. If the muffin tops start to brown too fast on the outside but are not fully baked yet, cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil. Overbaking will make the muffins dry so keep an eye on them. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes in pan, then transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.

Note: Starting the baking process at a higher temperature and then lowering it after a few mins is the key to big crunchy muffin tops!

Tips for making bakery style chocolate chip muffins

1. Fill the muffin tins with batter almost all the way to the top.
2. To get domed muffins, start by baking the muffins at 425°F/220°C, and after a few minutes, lower it to 375°F/190°C. That way, the muffins rise quickly and the outside edges will set faster than the center, causing the muffins to have a peak.
3. If the muffin tops start to brown too fast on the outside but are not fully baked yet, open you oven and cover the pan with aluminum foil.
4. Fill any empty tins in the muffin pan half full of water for even baking.
5. Don’t overmix the batter to avoid tough, dense muffins. Mix just until all the ingredients are fully combined. The batter should be a bit lumpy.
6. Top your muffins with sugar sprinkles for that fresh-from-bakery look.
7. Baking time differs if you make mini muffins (8-12 mins), standard muffins (15-20 mins) and jumbo muffins (25-35 mins). You’ll know it’s done when a toothpick comes out clean, but not dry.

The type of pan I use: I prefer this pan for my muffins I highly recommend it!

More of my favorite muffin recipes

• Pecan Pie Muffins: All the flavors of classic pecan pie in muffin form.
• Pumpkin Muffins: Full of pumpkin spice and everything nice.
• Peanut Butter and Banana Muffins: Made with creamy peanut butter and sweet, ripe bananas.
• Bakery Style Double Chocolate Muffins: Super moist and chocolatey.
• Lemon Muffins: Tender, fluffy, and bursting with lemon flavor.

4.8 from 5 votes

Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffins

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 17 mins

Total Time: 27 mins

YIELD: 4 jumbo size muffins or 10 standard size muffins

 

Fluffy, tender muffins chock full of dark chocolate chips. These muffins have perfectly round and crunchy muffin tops and taste amazing!

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Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup buttermilk or milk (see notes)
• 1/3 cup canola oil (or vegetable, safflower)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup chocolate chips or chunks (see notes)
• Sugar sprinkles (optional garnish)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F/220°C. Grease 12 muffin cups or line them with liner papers.

2. In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

3. In a medium bowl whisk the egg, buttermilk/milk, oil and vanilla extract, and whisk until combined. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and fold with a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula just until combined. Do not overmix. The batter should be thick and lumpy. Fold in chocolate chips.

4. Divide the mixture between the muffin cups almost all the way to the top. Bake for 3 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 375°F/190°C. Add sugar sprinkles to the muffin tops and continue to bake for an additional 12-17 minutes (for standard size muffins; see the above post notes for jumbo and mini muffin baking times) until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. If the muffin tops start to brown too fast on the outside but are not fully baked yet, cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil. Overbaking will make the muffins dry so keep an eye on them. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes in pan, then transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe Notes

-Both milk and buttermilk taste great but buttermilk makes the muffins much more moist. 
– Using chocolate chips or chunks (cut from a chocolate bar) yield a slightly different muffin. Chocolate chips hold their shape well during baking while chocolate chunks (which I cut to different size pieces for varying chocolate texture) are melty and soft. I highly recommend trying both options! 
– Muffins are best the same day they are made. 
– Muffins can be frozen for up to 2 months, then thawed overnight in the fridge or a couple of hours at room temperature.

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