Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Muffins

Bakery-style chocolate chip muffins are my favorite kind of muffins. It’s like eating a big, soft chocolate chip cookie for breakfast, which makes it totally OK, right?

Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Muffins

There’s a local supermarket in my neighborhood that makes fantastic bakery-style chocolate chip muffins. First, they’re jumbo, bigger than what most people could make at home, and their texture and flavor are on point. They truly are bakery muffins (and actually better than many I’ve gotten at traditional bakeries) and a perfect pairing with a steaming cup of coffee or tea.

Size notwithstanding, I wanted to see if I could duplicate the texture and flavor of these favorite muffins of mine. I love ones that are moist, full-bodied, and have a homemade taste, specifically, a “yellow cake” taste. I once more dug into the science of baking to see how to best achieve this, but, like most things, there’s a lot of contradictory information out there. That’s why I experimented quite a bit by “trying this, then trying that” to see what would stick. But because baking truly is a science, it’s not always easy to pinpoint what goes wrong, or even right, when recipe testing.

I made these muffins at least five times before landing on this recipe. I tried making them with milk, low-fat buttermilk, and fat-free buttermilk (only because my supermarket was out of low-fat that day), and the low-fat came out the winner. I also tried making them with one egg, then two eggs. I tried making them with less baking powder before finally adding more. I even tried refrigerating the batter overnight, baking it right after mixing it, and letting it sit for an hour on the kitchen counter (This last method worked best.) Then, finally, I achieved what I thought were some pretty darn good muffins, each one studded with glorious chocolate chips. Are they just like the ones from my neighborhood supermarket? Probably not, but they’re a different kind of delicious, and that’s good enough for me.

Also, I love large muffins, so this recipe is for six jumbo ones. I hope you bake these bakery-style chocolate chip muffins one Saturday morning, and may they make your day just like mine. 🙂

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Cake Flour
• Double-Acting Baking Powder
• Fine Salt
• Unsalted Butter
• Canola or Vegetable Oil
• Granulated Sugar
• Dark Brown Sugar
• Large Eggs
• Vanilla Extract
• Low-Fat Buttermilk
• Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Why You’ll Love These Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Muffins

They’re easy to make: You just need two bowls to whip up these delicious muffins.

They’re perfect if you’re a chocolate lover: You have a good excuse to eat chocolate for breakfast!

You can skip the actual bakery: Bakeries are convenient, but baked goods are more economical to make at home because so many of us have sugar, flour, etc., sitting in our pantries begging to be used. Plus, homemade goods often taste better than what we get from the store.

Pro Tips

Be sure to use low-fat buttermilk: Fat-free buttermilk will yield a different texture and flavor. As for full-fat buttermilk, I’ve never tested this recipe with it, so I can’t verify the results.

Let the batter sit at room temperature for 45 minutes to 1 hour: This gives the baking powder a chance to “do its thing” and help the muffins rise more when baking.

Use silicone liners: You can coat the muffin cups with nonstick spray, but muffin liners keep the cups clean and the muffins from drying out. I recommend these liners from Amazon.

Keep a close eye on your oven: My muffins come out ideal after a total baking time of 26 minutes, but your oven might require a couple of minutes more or less. It’s best to first test them when they’re likely still underbaked, and add 2 to 3 more minutes of baking time before rechecking them. You want to remove the muffins from the oven as soon as they are set. Insert a toothpick into them and remove them when the toothpick comes out clean.

Suggestions for Variations and Substitutions

• Add more or fewer chocolate chips, if you’d like.
• Before baking the muffins, top them with some coarse or granulated sugar for crunch and extra sweetness.
• You can make 12 smaller muffins instead of 6 larger ones. For the 12, try baking the muffins at 425F for 5 minutes, then lower the heat to 350F, and bake for another 12 minutes, to start. Please note that these times are only an estimate.

Leftovers

The muffins can sit in an airtight container at room temperature for three to five days or in the refrigerator for up to one week. You can also freeze them for up to three months. Defrost one in the microwave for about 20 to 30 seconds on high power.

Can’t get enough chocolate? Try my ultimate brownies.