Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Muffins

These Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Muffins are full of chocolate chips inside and out. They are famous for having soft and moist crumbs and sugary crisp, sky-high muffin tops just like these Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins. 

These are no ordinary muffins, you guys! You can easily make them at home, but they will look like something bought at a fancy bakery.

I ain’t kidding at all!

They’re soft and moist inside with tall, crackly muffin tops. 

Moreover, using the same batter you can make them with more than one type of chocolate (dark, bittersweet, and/or milk chocolate chips), swapping chocolate for different berries or a mix of them, chopped stone fruit, and more.

It is a versatile recipe that you’ll want to make use of it again and again.

Just picture yourself having a warm chocolate chip muffin with a cup of coffee right in the morning or in the mid-afternoon…

I know… you are rushing to make them, right? 

Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Muffins

 There are many chocolate chip muffin recipes out there.

But none like this – I can guarantee!

 Ours is better than the classic! Why? Here are a few reasons:

• They have buttery, soft, and moist crumbs inside.
• Sugary, crisp, and tall muffin tops that look like domes.
• You can make them with simple ingredients. Yep! You don’t need fancy ingredients at all!
• These homemade chocolate chip muffins look like coming out from a bakery but they cost way less than if you have bought them.

Homemade Chocolate Chip Muffins vs. Bakery Style Muffins

Homemade muffins and bakery-style chocolate chip muffins may share common ingredients, but the way to make them is not the same.

Here are a few differences:

1. Filling the muffin tin: Most homemade chocolate chip muffin recipes asks for filling the muffin tins ¾ full while our bakery-style muffin recipe calls for filling them wall the way to the top.
2. Baking temperature: The homemade ones use the same oven temperature from start to end (usually 350° F-375° F) while the bakery-style ones bake the muffins at a higher temperature for the first 5-8 minutes (usually at 425° F) and then reduce the temperature to 350° F to 375° F for the remaining baking time. This initial high oven temperature lifts the muffin tops up quickly, creating tall, crackly tops. This is the reason why it is key to fill the muffin tins to the top!
3. Sugary tops: The bakery-style chocolate chip muffins contain coarse sugar on their tops, making them extra crisp and sweeter.

Ingredients and Substitutions

The quality of these easy chocolate chip muffins depends on the quality of the ingredients used to make them:

• Chocolate chips: I used mini chocolate chips so they wouldn’t weigh down the tops when baking and rising in the oven. Choose the type of chocolate you enjoy the most: dark, semisweet, milk, or white chocolate chips (or a combination of them). They are added to the batter and also to the muffin tops right before baking the muffins. Of course, the best the quality of the chocolate, the most delish they will be – although I used the ones from Nestle Toll House which is common and budget-friendly yet delicious.
• Butter: Use real butter (NOT margarine). European butter contains less water and more dairy/fat than American butter, making it a key ingredient for the creaming process, along with sugar.
• Eggs: This bakery-style chocolate chip muffin recipe calls for 2 whole eggs, at room temperature. Please don’t substitute them (do not use flax eggs)!
• Sugar: You’ll need granulated sugar both for the batter and tops. Of course, to make the tops extra crisp, you may also add some sparkling sugar or sugar on the raw that has a coarse grain.
• Flavoring: Use pure vanilla extract instead of vanilla flavoring.
• Milk: Add full-fat, whole milk (not reduced or low-fat milk). Do not replace it with Greek yogurt or sour cream which is an acidic ingredient. Otherwise, it'll require baking soda.
• Flour: We used a combination of flour (bread and pastry/cake flour). Bread flour is easy to find in the USA. It helps to trap air when knead or beaten in the mixer. However, if you live in other parts of the world, like Europe, it may not be easy to find it. In this case, replace cake flour with a combination of all-purpose flour and cornstarch. Cake flour makes baked goods lighter and fluffier. To replace cake flour, measure out 1 level cup all-purpose flour for every cup of cake flour called for in a recipe. Then remove 2 tablespoons of flour from that measurement and return them to the bag of flour. Next, add 2 tablespoons cornstarch to the (1 cup minus 2 tablespoons) of measured flour. Since our muffin recipe asks for ½ cup of cake flour, you will need to replace it with ½ cup of all-purpose flour minus 1 tablespoon and then add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch.
• Baking Powder: It must be fresh (or not expired) in order to be activated and help our bakery-style chocolate chip muffins to rise when they are baking.
• Salt: It enhances sweetness! But it is optional!

How to Make Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffins

1. Preheat the oven to 425° F (220° C). In a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar together at low speed until fluffy. SEE PIC. 1 Then add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each one but just enough to combine. SEE PIC. 2 Please, do NOT overmix! Mix in the vanilla extract. SEE PIC. 3
2. Add the dry ingredients (bread flour, cake flour, baking powder, and salt if you want) in 2-3 additions, alternating with the milk. Beat after each addition just until combined. SEE PIC. 4
3. Fold 2 cups of chocolate chips into the thick batter using a spatula. SEE PIC. 5 Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper muffin liners (or grease the tin cups very well with nonstick cooking spray). Using a cookie or ice cream scoop, fill the liners with the batter until reaches the very top of each muffin cup. SEE PIC. 6 Top the muffins with the remaining cup of chocolate chips and then sprinkle 4 tablespoon (or more) of coarse sugar over the tops of the muffins. SEE PIC. 7 NOTE: Do not wait too long to bake the muffins after the batter is ready!
4. Transfer the muffin pan to the middle rack of the oven and bake for 8 minutes. Then, without opening the oven door, decrease the oven temperature to 375° F (190° C) and bake for an additional 17-22 minutes. The muffin tops will be golden brown and puffy! Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the middle. It must be crumb-free! SEE PIC. 8
5. Let the muffins cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes. Then gently remove the muffins from the tin while hot and transfer them to a wire rack to fully cool.

Tips for making Easy Chocolate Chip Muffins

• To make this easy chocolate chip muffin recipe, use a flour mixture (a blend of bread and cake or pastry flour). If you can’t find cake flour, replace it with a combo of all-purpose flour and cornstarch (see recipe).
• Use room temperature, good-quality butter, and cream with the sugar until the sugar and butter mixture is fluffy. How long you cream the butter and sugar together will depend on weather conditions, such as humidity. You will have to adjust the time depending on your situation.
• Using an electric mixer, add the eggs, one at a time, beating the batter in between each addition, but just enough to combine them. Do NOT overmix! They must be at room temperature!
• Alternate the addition of dry ingredients with the milk.
• Use preferably mini chocolate chips in order not to weigh down the rising tops.
• Bake the muffins as soon as the batter is ready at a high temperature so they can rise properly!
• Use an ice cream scoop to scoop the batter into the muffin tins. This helps to produce rounded tops. Also, use a pan with large muffin cups (standard-size) instead of a mini muffin tin.
• Either use paper liners or grease the tin cups very well with nonstick cooking spray before scooping the batter into it.
• Sprinkle sugar on top of each bakery-style muffin before baking.
• We made standard-size muffins. But you can use a jumbo muffin pan to make giant muffins. It will yield 6 big muffins instead of 12.

Secrets to Tall Chocolate Chip Muffins

There are simple ways to make muffins taller with a big domed muffin top:

• Add room temperature ingredients!
• Fill the muffin tin all the way to the top.
• Bake the muffins at a higher temperature for the first 5-8 minutes (usually at 425 degrees F) and then reduce the temperature to 350° F to 375° F for the remaining baking time. This initial high oven temperature lifts the muffin tops up quickly, creating tall, crackly tops. This is the reason why it is key to fill the muffin tins to the top!
• Place the muffins in the oven as soon as the batter is ready!

What makes muffins light and fluffy?

There is more than one factor:

• Using butter, eggs, and milk at room temperature makes the muffin batter smooth and easier to trap air and rise when heated in the oven. That rising or expansion produces light and fluffy chocolate chip muffins!
• Using cake flour instead of all-purpose flour because it contains an extra-fine texture and low gluten content, resulting in tender, lighter, and fluffier muffins or baked goods.

 How to Store

• Store them in a Ziploc bag or airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
• They keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
• To defrost these bakery-style chocolate chip muffins, place them on the counter until thawed.
• You can reheat them for about 15-30 seconds in the microwave in order to eat them warm.

More Chocolate Chip Recipes to Try:

• Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Low Carb Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies
• Chocolate Lava Mug Cake (1-Minute)
• Chocolate Fudge Cake in a Mug
• Baked Oats
• Oven Baked Coconut Flour Pancakes

More Muffin Recipes to Enjoy: 

• Apple Crumble Muffins
• Cinnamon Muffins
• Mango Coconut Streusel Muffins
• Flourless Pumpkin Coconut Muffins

PIN & ENJOY!

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5 from 2 votes

Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Muffins

These Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Muffins are full of chocolate chips inside and out. They are famous for having soft and moist crumbs and sugary crisp, sky-high muffin tops just like these Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins. 

Course:Snack

Cuisine:American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 12 muffins

Calories487 kcal

Author Denise Browning

Cost $ 1.00 per person

Equipment

• 1 Stand mixer
• 1 spatula
• 1 Ice cream scoop
• 1 12-cup muffin tin standard size

Ingredients

• ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar Measure and level the cup with a knife
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 2 cups bread flour Measure, and level the cup with a knife
• ½ cup cake flour Measure and level the cup with a knife. TO REPLACE IT: Measure out ½ level cup all-purpose flour and then remove 1 tablespoon of the flour from that measurement and return it to the bag of flour. Next, add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to the ½ cup of all-purpose flour minus 1 tbsp. and stir to combine.
• 4 teaspoon baking powder Measure and level the spoon with a knife
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups mini chocolate chips divided
• 4 tablespoon coarse sugar for the tops (it can be raw or sparkling sugar)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425° F (220° C). In a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar together at low speed until fluffy. Then add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each one but just enough to combine. Please, do NOT overmix! Mix in the vanilla extract.
• Add the dry ingredients (bread flour, cake flour, baking powder, and salt if you want) in 2-3 additions, alternating with the milk. Beat after each addition just until combined.
• Fold 2 cups of chocolate chips into the thick batter using a spatula. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper muffin liners (or grease the tin cups very well with nonstick cooking spray). Using a cookie or ice cream scoop, fill the liners with the batter until reaches the very top of each muffin cup. Top the muffins with the remaining cup of chocolate chips and then sprinkle 4 tablespoon (or more) of coarse sugar over the tops of the muffins. NOTE: Do not wait too long to bake the muffins after the batter is ready!
• Transfer the muffin pan to the middle rack of the oven and bake for 8 minutes. Then, without opening the oven door, decrease the oven temperature to 375° F (190° C) and bake for an additional 17-22 minutes. The muffin tops will be golden brown and puffy! Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the middle. It must be crumb-free!
• Let the muffins cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes. Then gently remove the muffins from the tin while hot and transfer them to a wire rack to fully cool.

Recipe Notes

How to Store

• Store them in a Ziploc bag or airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
• They keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
• To defrost these bakery-style chocolate chip muffins, place them on the counter until thawed.
• You can reheat them for about 15-30 seconds in the microwave in order to eat them warm.  

 

 

Nutrition

Calories: 487kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 145mg | Potassium: 187mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 49g | Vitamin A: 394IU | Calcium: 132mg | Iron: 1mg

** Nutrition labels on easyanddelish.com are for educational purposes only. This info is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate, since the nutrition content of recipes can vary based on ingredient brand or source, portion sizes, recipe changes/variations, and other factors. We suggest making your own calculations using your preferred calculator, based on which ingredients you use, or consulting with a registered dietitian to determine nutritional values more precisely.

Please note that health-focused and diet information provided on easyanddelish.com is for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Consult with your doctor or other qualified health professional prior to initiating any significant change in your diet or exercise regimen, or for any other issue necessitating medical advice.

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