Dark Chocolate Chip Muffins

Name: Dark Chocolate Chip Muffins
Prep time: 12 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients: 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour; 1/3 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder; 3/4 cup granulated sugar; 1/4 tsp fine sea salt; 1 tsp baking soda; 2 large eggs; 1 cup sour cream; 1/2 cup whole milk; 1/3 cup vegetable oil; 1 tsp pure vanilla extract; 1 cup semi-sweet dark chocolate chips

By Emma

Certified Culinary Professional

Published on 09 February 2026 • Recipe tested & approved

Dense, fudge-laden muffins with dark cocoa and melty chips. Sour cream lends a tender crumb while vegetable oil keeps them moist. A little less sugar to balance bitterness. Bakes up rich with crackly tops and moist centers.

Prep: 12 min

Cook: 18 min

Total: 30 min

Servings: 12 servings

#baking #chocolate #muffins #quick bake # American recipes

Before You Start

Started messing with chocolate muffins years ago; dry, crumbly disasters that tasted more like sadness than cake. Learned a few hard lessons—sour cream’s magic for moisture, the way cocoa pounds flavor without drying, and why vegetable oil beats butter here to keep softness. Dark cocoa powder gives a sharp bitterness that plays perfectly with sweet chips. Don’t just eyeball bake time. Look for cracked tops, slight jiggle, and toothpick with fudgy crumbs—not raw batter. Tried swapping oil for melted butter once—nice flavor but denser crumb. Replaced sugar with coconut sugar once—added caramel notes but darkened batter too much. Each attempt taught patience with folding, how little flour matters as long as you don’t beat the heck out of it. These muffins don’t lie—they shout fudge, richness, and a bit of tang. Ideal for those who want their chocolate with a hint of soul and texture instead of just a sugar rush.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet dark chocolate chips

About the ingredients

Swapping light brown sugar for white sugar boosts moisture and slight caramel flavor without overt sweetness but changes color. If you don’t have sour cream, plain Greek yogurt works fine but toss in a teaspoon of lemon juice to replicate acidity. Vegetable oil keeps crumb tender without butter’s richness but you can use melted coconut oil for subtle tropical notes. Dark cocoa powder is essential for depth; regular cocoa is milder but you’ll lose some punch. Chocolate chips vary wildly—semi-sweet or bittersweet chips bring balance, milk chocolate chips can overwhelm sweetness. Salt isn’t optional here: it sharpens chocolate and controls overly sweet batter—fine sea or kosher salt preferred. Milk can be swapped for almond or oat milk, but batter texture shifts slightly; add 10% less liquid for plant milks with thinner consistency. If you only have baking powder, double the amount and drop baking soda, but expect less rise and lighter crumb.

Method

Preheat oven to 380 degrees Fahrenheit. Line muffin tin with paper liners or grease well for easier release.
In a big bowl, sift together flour, dark cocoa, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Breaking lumps of cocoa powder with fingertips helps avoid streaks in batter.
In a separate bowl, whisk eggs vigorously until yolks and whites just blend. Add sour cream, milk, oil, and vanilla. Whisk gently to combine but keep air in mix.
Add chocolate chips directly to dry flour mixture and toss lightly to coat. Pour wet mixture over dry. Fold carefully with spatula just until barely incorporated. Overmix and your crumb will toughen.
Fill liners about 3/4 full. Spoon batter evenly. Look for surface with faint peaks from lift of batter. Smooth tops flatten during bake.
Slide into oven. Bake 17 to 20 minutes. Jiggling pan helps check doneness; muffin tops should spring back lightly but still feel soft. Toothpick will come out with moist crumbs not wet batter.
Cool in pan 5 minutes then transfer to rack. Storing airtight keeps edges from drying but best eaten within 2 days for freshness.

Cooking tips

Timing’s but a guide—watch muffin tops and feel their bounce. Dry cracked tops? Too long. Sinking centers? Not enough. Folding wet into dry gently retains air bubbles that keep crumb tender. Chocolate chips tossed in dry flour first won’t sink; previously learned that the hard way. Using paper liners avoids sticking but greasing wells weights muffin bottoms, making them heavy and dense. Whisk eggs and wet ingredients separately—not all at once—to avoid curdling sour cream and breaking texture. Baking at 380 rather than 375 caramelizes tops faster, giving rustic crack and those rich chocolate smells earlier. Rest batter five minutes before baking to hydrate flour thoroughly, a trick I started with pancake batter—silky texture, less flour taste. Muffins cool best on wire rack to avoid soggy bottoms; storing airtight traps moisture but makes crust soft. Warm gently before eating to soften chips if chilled. Resist temptation to overbake; smells alone won’t tell you if they’re done. The jiggle test is key, so move pan lightly thirty seconds before timer, look closely for that perfect wobble.

Chef's notes

💡 Line muffin tin with paper liners avoid heavy dense bottoms from greasing wells. Use a gentle fold motion to avoid toughening crumb. Over mixing blasts air bubbles out; crumb goes dense and heavy. Add chocolate chips to dry mix first keeps them suspended throughout batter; chips won’t sink to bottom. Crackly tops form at 380°F quicker than 375°F; caramelizes surface earlier for that rustic bite. Timing’s guide only watch muffin tops jiggle lightly before pulling out. Insert toothpick; moist crumbs mean done. Wet batter toothpick means underbaked.
💡 Whisk eggs separately before adding sour cream, milk, oil, vanilla. Avoid curdling sour cream by not dumping wet ingredients all at once. Mixing air in with eggs helps keep texture light. Rest batter 5 minutes before scooping hydrates flour fully giving a slight silkiness and less flour taste. Swap sour cream for Greek yogurt add teaspoon lemon juice for acidity replication. Vegetable oil keeps crumb tender and moist compared to butter’s richness but coconut oil adds subtle tropical notes if preferred.
💡 Substitutions: brown sugar instead of white sugar adds slight caramel notes but makes batter darker; consider if color matters. Milk swaps to almond or oat milk require 10% less liquid because plant milks thin batter. If baking soda missing use double baking powder; rise less pronounced and crumb lighter but still works. Salt isn’t optional; brings out cocoa bitterness and controls sweetness balance. Use fine sea or kosher salt avoid coarse grains that don’t dissolve well.
💡 Don’t eyeball bake time rely on sensory clues: slight jiggle in tops near timer end means ready. Dry cracked tops signal overbake; centers sinking means underbake. Muffins cool in pan 5 minutes first then move rack to avoid soggy bottoms from trapped steam. Store airtight to trap moisture but crust softens so warm gently before serving if chilled chips harden. Avoid greasing liners heaviness forms at muffin base; paper liners preferred.
💡 Avoid folding too aggressively batter still lumpy is fine; overdoing kills rise and ruins crumb softness. Chocolate chips tossed in dry flour mixture catch and stay distributed; learned that the hard way. Slide pan gently in oven prevent bits settling. Rest batter before baking hydrates flour better. Jiggling pan 30 seconds before timer ends helps detect doneness visually and tactilely. Toothpick test crucial but expect moist crumbs not perfectly dry stick-free skewer.

Common questions

Can I substitute sour cream?

Use plain Greek yogurt plus teaspoon lemon juice mimics acidity well. Texture close but slight tartness varies. Avoid milk only swaps batter texture changes too much. Tried refusals resulted dry crumb no flavor punch.

What if I only have baking powder?

Double amount and drop baking soda. Muffins rise less; crumb lighter and softer but lose some lift. Works but expect less crackly top and fluffiness. Sometimes add cream of tartar for boost but not always handy.

Why do chips sink?

Skip folding chips in dry flour mix first. Chips coated in flour suspend in batter better. Chips dropped directly into wet tend to sink. Learned after failed batches. Tossing in flour helps even distribution especially with thick batters.

How to store leftovers?

Airtight container best but crust softens. Paper liners help trapping moisture but muffins turn slightly dense if left too long. Refrigerate longer storage warm before eating to soften chips time comes. Freeze individual muffins wrapped tight avoid freezer burn; thaw at room temp or short microwave burst.