Description
Ultra-moist chocolate muffins with bakery-style domed tops and intense chocolate flavor. Made with bloomed cocoa, sour cream, and loaded with chocolate chips, these muffins stay fresh for days. Easy one-bowl recipe with a two-temperature baking method for perfect results every time.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 3/4 cups plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 1 1/4 tsp baking soda (bi-carb)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa powder, sifted
- 1 tbsp instant coffee granules or powder (optional but SO recommended!)
Wet Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup milk, full fat, HOT
- 1/2 cup canola oil (or vegetable or other neutral flavoured oil)
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup sour cream or thick plain yogurt (fridge-cold is fine)
- 1 large egg (55-60g / 2oz) (fridge-cold is fine)
Mix-ins:
- 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips (US: semi-sweet chips)
Instructions
Set your oven to 210°C / 410°F (190°C fan). Yes, that’s HOT! We’re starting high to create that gorgeous dome. Position your oven shelf in the top third of the oven – this helps create those bakery-style tops. Line your 12-hole standard muffin tin with paper cases.
Into a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set this aside – we’ll come back to it in a minute. Sifting isn’t just fancy baker stuff; it removes lumps and aerates the flour for a lighter texture!
Here’s where the magic happens! In a separate bowl, sift your cocoa powder (lumpy cocoa = lumpy muffins, and nobody wants that). Add the instant coffee granules and pour in the HOT milk. Whisk like your life depends on it until the mixture is completely smooth and lump-free.
To your beautiful bloomed cocoa mixture, add the brown sugar, oil, egg, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Whisk everything together until it’s completely smooth and unified. The mixture should look glossy and smell absolutely heavenly.
Now for the moment of truth! Pour your wet mixture into the bowl with your sifted flour. Whisk everything together until the batter is smooth and glossy. You’ll notice this batter is thinner than typical muffin batters – that’s exactly what we want! It’s what creates that incredibly tender, moist crumb.
Stir in most of your chocolate chips, but hold back about 1/4 cup for topping. Fold them in gently – we’re not trying to win a mixing competition here! You want those chocolate chips distributed throughout for maximum chocolate in every bite.
Divide your batter evenly between the 12 muffin holes. Fill them up to about 0.5cm / 0.2″ from the rim of the paper liner. This is IMPORTANT – overfill them and you’ll have a messy overflow situation in your oven.
Take those reserved chocolate chips and pile them right in the middle of each muffin. Don’t worry about making them look perfect – they’ll spread as they bake and create that gorgeous, chocolate-studded top that looks like it came from a fancy bakery.
Pop those babies into your preheated 210°C / 410°F (190°C fan) oven and bake for exactly 5 minutes. This high initial temperature is crucial – it gives the muffins a quick rise and creates those beautiful domed tops. Set a timer because 5 minutes goes by fast!
After 5 minutes, turn your oven DOWN to 190°C / 375°F (170°C fan) without opening the door. Bake for another 20 minutes, but start checking at the 15-minute mark. Insert a toothpick into the center – if it comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs (not raw batter), they’re done.
Let the muffins rest in the tin for a few minutes – they’re quite delicate when they first come out and need a moment to set up. Then carefully transfer them to a wire cooling rack. Try to wait at least 15 minutes before diving in. This cooling time helps the texture set properly.
Notes
Check early, check often: Start checking your muffins at the 15-minute mark on the second bake. Every oven is different, and you’d rather check early than overbake. Dry muffins make me sad!
The toothpick test is your friend: Insert it into the center (not near the edge where it bakes faster). Clean or with a few moist crumbs = done. Raw batter = needs more time. Melted chocolate = pick a different spot to test!
Double-sift the cocoa: I actually sift my cocoa twice – once alone, then again when I add the coffee and milk. Cocoa powder is notoriously lumpy, and lumps don’t disappear once you add wet ingredients.
Use quality cocoa: The chocolate flavor is the star here, so use good cocoa powder! Dutch process gives the deepest flavor, but even a good quality regular cocoa makes a huge difference.
Common mistake to avoid: Don’t open the oven door during that first 5 minutes! You’ll let out all the heat and your muffins won’t get that initial rise they need for those gorgeous domes.
Smart shortcut: Make a double batch of the dry ingredients and store half in an airtight container. Next time you want muffins, you’ve already done half the work!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American