The BEST Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffins

Updated: Apr 26, 2026 by christina.marsigliese · 174 Comments

These big, beautiful Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Muffins are everything they're hyped up to be with tall, wide, crisp caramelized muffin tops and soft, moist and fluffy insides. They are a real treat and I guarantee they are absolutely the best homemade chocolate chip muffins you will every have, bursting with dark chocolate chips and full of delicious vanilla flavor. The sweetness is nicely balanced by rich and tangy sour cream. You will love the soft texture, especially while warm! If you enjoy making muffins, check out my Bakery Style Blueberry Muffins and these popular Sour Cream Coffee Cake Muffins too.

bakery-style chocolate chip muffins with big muffin top

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Easy to make - this recipe is super simple to make with a bowl and a whisk! No mixer required.
Moist chocolate chip muffins - these muffins are moist with a fluffy open texture just the way muffins should be. They are best enjoyed warm, and are even still soft the next day. Be sure to read my tips for how to achieve this very soft and moist texture below.
Mini dark chocolate chips - I use mini chocolate chips because they will distribute more evenly throughout the batter so that you get lots of bits of chocolate in every single bite.
Bakery style quality - these muffins bake up with a high muffin top just like a bakery-style muffin. Be sure to read the tips below to learn how to achieve that peaked muffin top.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MUFFINS AND CUPCAKES?

The difference between muffins and cupcakes is the mixing method. Muffins fall in the category of "quick breads" which are simple batters that involve mixing wet ingredients separately to dry ingredients and then combining them together with minimal stirring to form the batter. They have a more open texture and spongy bouncy crumb texture.

Cupcakes generally follow the "creaming" method where you mix soft butter and sugar until pale and fluffy before mixing in eggs, dry ingredients and any other liquid ingredients. Cupcakes have a finer, tighter crumb structure with a delicate and tender texture.

bakery-style chocolate chip muffins on cooling rack

INGREDIENTS

All purpose flour - regular unbleached all-purpose flour works great for open-textured muffins. If you have bleached cake flour, then you can replace half of the unbleached all-purpose flour with cake flour and it will actually give you an even more exaggerated muffin top. That's because bleached flour absorbs moisture more readily and sets more quickly.
Unsalted butter - butter brings the flavor! Using a combination of oil and butter means we get the taste of butter and the softness of oil.
Sunflower oil - this recipe uses part oil. Although I LOVE BUTTER, using some oil will keep these muffins moist since it is liquid at room temperature. You can use any neutral tasting oil, but I prefer sunflower oil for its clean taste.
Pure vanilla extract - vanilla is the main flavor in these muffins so use your best one. I like this Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla extract.
Eggs - two whole eggs will set the batter into a nice soft spongy texture.
Sour cream - full fat sour cream ads rich dairy notes and so much flavor and body.
Milk - I always bake with full fat whole milk. You can also use 2% milk.
Granulated sugar - simple granulated sugar keeps these muffins moist and helps develop the golden crunchy top.
Dark chocolate chips - I love using mini dark chocolate chips in my muffins, but you can use regular if that's all you can find. Semi-sweet works great.

bakery-style chocolate chip muffins ingredients

bakery-style chocolate chip muffins cross section

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

This recipe is simple to prepare and you can make it with a regular wire whisk!

STEP 1). Combine dry ingredients. Sift flour, baking powder and baking soda into a large bowl. Add sugar and salt and whisk to blend well. Mix in 1 cup of mini chocolate chips.
STEP 2). Combine wet ingredients. Combine eggs, sour cream, vanilla, oil, melted butter and milk in a medium bowl and whisk until completely smooth.
STEP 3). Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with dry ingredients and gently whisk to combine. Stop right when the batter is fully combined and be careful not to over mix.
STEP 4). Set batter aside. Cover the bowl and set aside while the oven preheats. Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a standard muffin pan with 12 paper liners.
STEP 5). Scoop the batter. Use an ice cream scoop or large spoon to divide the batter evenly among lined muffin cups, filling them right to the top. Don't mix it around or bother it too much.
STEP 6). Sprinkle! Top each muffin with a few mini dark chocolate chips and a generous sprinkle of coarse sugar. Don't be shy with those chocolate chips because they will spread out as the muffins rise in the oven.
STEP 7). BAKE. Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes. Then, with the oven door still closed, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for another 8-10 minutes until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean despite any melted chocolate chips. Let muffins cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then transfer muffins to a cooling rack. They're best served warm!

bakery-style chocolate chip muffins with bite

EXPERT BAKING TIPS

Sift the dry ingredients - Sifting the flour will eliminate any lumps and separate all of the flour particles which means it will incorporated into the wet ingredients more easily and more quickly. This will minimize the amount of mixing required so that you ensure the muffins are soft.
Do not reduce the sugar - the right amount of sugar will make these muffins moist because it binds water so that it doesn't evaporate excessively during baking.
Do not over-mix. Just fold in the flour gently until well combined, but no need to mix vigorously. Just mix until no streaks of dry flour remain. Any lumps will continue to get worked out as you scoop the batter into the muffin pan.
Rest the batter. Usually we bake batters immediately to retain the leavening power of the baking powder and baking soda, however with muffins they actually benefit from a short resting time for the purpose of texture. The flour will hydrate which will help it build strength to form tall muffin tops and withstand all of the gases produced by the leavening agents.
Do not over-bake. Over-baking will most definitely lead to dry muffins. Make sure you check with a skewer for doneness or press the tops - they should spring back.
Preheat the oven very hot. Baking in a very hot oven for the first few minutes will jump start the leavening agents to give a big lift initially to help create that muffin top. It also helps set the edges so that the batter doesn't spill out and spread too much which can make flat tops. Baking hot will set the edges to force the batter upwards for taller muffins.

RECIPE FAQ

Can I add any other inclusions to this muffin recipe?

Yes! You can add up to ½ cup of chopped nuts or dried fruit. I'd recommend walnuts or pecans.

How do I get tall muffin tops?

The key steps to getting tall bakery-style muffin tops is to fill the muffin cups all the way to the top, and then to bake initially at a very high temperature to activate the baking powder and cause a fast rise. If you like very tall tops that peak and crack, bake at 425 F for the first 5 minutes, then reduce to 350 F for the remaining cooking time.

How to make wide muffin tops with crisp edges?

For wide muffin tops that brown around the edges, bake at 400 F for the first 5 minutes and then reduce to 350 F for the remaining cooking time.

Can I use any kind of chocolate chips in the batter?

Feel free to use your favorite kind of chocolate in this recipe since it doesn't rely on cocoa solids to add structure directly in the batter. You can use milk chocolate chips if you prefer. You can also use regular sized semisweet chocolate chips instead of minis and in this case I suggest reserving a tablespoon of the flour mixture to coat them in before folding into the batter so they don't sink to the bottom.

How to make moist chocolate chip muffins?

These muffins have a soft moist texture. To ensure you get this texture, do not reduce the sugar. Sugar is important to hold moisture in. Also, be careful not to over-mix the batter. Over-mixing will initiate gluten formation which can lead to a tough crumb texture. Just mix until combined and a few small lumps are fine as they will mix through as you portion out the batter.

Why did my muffins turn out dry?

Over-mixing, over-baking or over-measuring the flour are the key reasons why muffins can turn out dry. Be sure to measure your flour correctly. Adding too much flour is the most common mistake and leads to dry and crumbly cakes and muffins. The most accurate way to measure flour is using a scale. If you don't have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, spoon it into your measuring cup and use a knife to level it off.

Can I freeze bakery style chocolate chip muffins?

Yes! These muffins freeze very well. Just place them in a resealable freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

If you love muffins, check out these recipes!

Small Batch Double Chocolate Banana Muffins The BEST Blueberry Muffin Recipe Small Batch Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins Spiced Sweet Potato Pie Muffins Moist Chocolate Fudge Swirl Banana Muffins Banana Blueberry Oat Muffins BEST Banana Oat Muffins Whole Wheat Chocolate Banana Muffins Chai Spice Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins Chocolate Swirl Pumpkin Muffins

bakery-style chocolate chip muffins with melty chocolate chips

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Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffins

Christina Marsigliese

Fluffy, tall bakery-style Chocolate Chip Muffins with a crunchy golden muffin top and soft fluffy insides loaded with dark chocolate chips!

5 from 63 votes

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Servings 12 muffins

Ingredients

2 cups (284g) all purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups (230g) mini dark chocolate chips,* plus extra for topping
2 large eggs at room temperature
½ cup (120ml) full fat sour cream, at room temperature
2 teaspoon (10ml) pure vanilla extract
¼ cup (60ml) sunflower oil
¼ cup (56g) unsalted butter, melted
¾ cup (180ml) whole milk, at room temperature
2 tablespoon coarse or raw sugar for sprinkling

*NOTE: if you use regular chocolate chips instead of mini chips, they may sink to the bottom of the batter during baking. In this case I suggest reserving 1 tablespoon of the flour mixture and coat the chocolate chips in this flour before folding into the batter at the end. These are my favorite semisweet chocolate chips.

Instructions

Sift flour, baking powder and baking soda into a large bowl. Add sugar and salt and whisk to blend well.
Combine eggs, sour cream, vanilla, oil, melted butter and milk in a medium bowl and whisk until completely smooth.
Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with dry ingredients and gently whisk to combine. Stop right when the batter is fully combined and be careful not to over mix. Gently fold in mini chocolate chips.
Cover the bowl and set aside to rest for 30 minutes while the oven preheats.
Preheat the oven to 400°F for wide muffin tops or 425°F for tall peaked muffin tops. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Here are really great parchment paper liners that I like to use for these muffins as they won't stick at all to these ones.
Use a 2 oz scoop or large spoon to divide the batter evenly among lined muffin cups, filling them right to the top. Top each muffin with a few extra mini dark chocolate chips and a generous sprinkle of coarse raw sugar if desired. Don't be shy with those chocolate chips because they will spread out as the muffins rise in the oven.
For wide muffin tops, bake at 400°F for 5 minutes. Then, with the oven door still closed, reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and bake for another 13-15 minutes until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean despite any melted chocolate chips. If you prefer tall peaked muffin tops that crack in the middle, bake at 425°F for 5 minutes. Then, with the oven door still closed, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for another 15 minutes. Let muffins cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then transfer muffins to a cooling rack. They're best served warm!