Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffins
Picture this: you wake up to the smell of freshly baked muffins wafting through your home. You wander into your kitchen and what do you find? The most scrumptious, chocolaty, melt-in-your-mouth Chocolate Chip Muffins waiting for you to take a bite. These aren’t just any muffins, my friends, they’re little morsels of morning magic that will have you swooning with every nibble. Each of these magnificent muffins is a treasure trove of warm, gooey chocolate chips nestled within a tender crumb that’s just sweet enough without being overpowering. You know how some muffins can be dry or dense? Not these babies! They’re so moist and fluffy, you might just think you’ve found the secret to levitation. A delight to bake, and an even greater delight to eat, these Chocolate Chip Muffins will turn you into a morning person faster than you can say ‘pass the butter’. And don’t worry if you’ve got some leftover chocolate chips! If the kids don’t gobble them up, you can give my Strawberry Chocolate Scones or Irish Soda Bread a try!
The Secret To The Perfect Muffin Dome
Achieving the perfect muffin dome can be boiled down to two key steps: Remember, every oven is different so times and temperatures may need to be adjusted slightly. Practice makes perfect with muffin domes!
Flour – Basic all-purpose flour is perfect. But pastry flour is another option if you want the muffins to be a bit lighter in texture. Leavening Agents – You’ll need baking powder and baking soda. They are both leavening agents that work in different ways to make the muffins rise. Salt – A dash of salt helps to balance the sweetness and enhance the taste of the chocolate chips. Eggs – You will need a couple of large eggs to help bind the muffins together. They should also ideally be at room temperature to help the batter properly emulsify. Sugar – White granulated sugar is used to sweeten the batter. You can also use cane sugar if you prefer. Yet, I don’t recommend using brown sugar as it will change the texture of the muffins. Butter – Melted unsalted butter is added to the recipe to add some buttery richness. Evaporated Milk – Evaporated milk is essentially milk that has had about 60% of its water content removed, making it thicker and creamier than regular milk. This can give your muffins a richer texture. Vegetable Oil – A bit of neutral flavored vegetable oil is used to keep the muffins nice and moist. Vanilla – Use pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste to further boost the chocolate flavor. Chocolate Chips – I used semi-sweet chocolate chips, but dark chocolate chips are also a great choice. Mini-chocolate chips will work too if that’s all you’ve got in your pantry.
Making muffins is very similar to making quick bread like my Banana Bread. They are super easy to whip together and turn out perfectly as long as you don’t overmix the batter. Just follow my simple instructions and you’ll have no trouble at all! To begin, preheat your oven temperature to 425°F (218°C) to get it nice and hot for your muffins. This is the key to those perfect little domes! Then grease a 12-cup muffin pan with butter or spray it with nonstick cooking spray. You can also line it with paper liners if you prefer. Then set the pan aside for a later step. Let’s get the batter going! First, stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Then in a separate medium bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together until they are well combined. Next, add the melted butter, evaporated milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla to the egg mixture. Then continue whisking everything together until it’s fully combined. Now, carefully fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients in the large bowl. At this point, it’s very important not to overmix the batter. There will be lumps and it will be thick. Then once the wet and dry ingredients are blended, very gently fold in the chocolate chips to finish the batter. After the batter is made, spoon it into the prepared pan dividing it evenly among all the muffin cups. In this case, you want to fill the cups all the way up to the top! Using an ice cream scoop can make this step a little less messy. Then sprinkle the top of each muffin with a bit of turbinado sugar or other coarse sugar if you like for a sweet crunchy muffin top. Now, transfer the muffins to the oven and bake them at 425°F (218°C) for 5 minutes. Then turn the oven temperature down to 350°F (177°C) and bake them for another 25 minutes or until they are set in the center and lightly golden brown on top. When the muffins are ready, a toothpick will come out clean when it’s inserted into the middle. Once the muffins are baked, remove them from the oven and let them cool in the muffin tin for 10 minutes. Then transfer them to a wire rack. Now, you can serve these chocolate chip muffins right away while they are still warm or let them finish cooling on the rack.
Troubleshooting Your Muffins
I get it, pals, we’ve all had those days. You’re so ready to dive into a fresh batch of muffins and then, disaster strikes. But don’t fret, we’ve got your back! Let’s tackle some of those common muffin mishaps together, shall we?
First up, the case of the “Flat Stanley” muffins. If your muffins aren’t rising quite right, it might be that your leavening agents have gone on a vacation. Make sure your baking powder and baking soda haven’t expired – yes, they can do that, cheeky things! You also want to avoid overmixing the batter because that can knock the air right out of it, leaving you with a flat, dense muffin. Gently does it, my friends. Next, we have the “Too Fast, Too Furious” browning situation. If your muffin tops are browning quicker than a sunbather in the Sahara, your oven might be too hot. Try reducing the heat or moving your muffins to a lower rack. If you’re still finding they brown too quickly, a loose foil tent over the top can keep them from catching a tan too early. Lastly, the “Where’s Waldo” chocolate chips. If your chocolate chips are playing hide and seek at the bottom of your muffins, try tossing them in a bit of flour before folding them into the batter. This can help them stay suspended in the batter and evenly distributed.
Remember, baking is a science but it’s also an art. So don’t be disheartened by any baking blunders. They’re just opportunities to learn and perfect your craft. Keep at it, and soon you’ll be churning out muffins like a pro!
Storage
Storing these chocolate chip muffins is a breeze. Once fully cooled, store them in an airtight container at room temperature. They’ll stay fresh and delicious for up to 3 days. If you want to keep them longer, these muffins freeze beautifully. Wrap each muffin individually in plastic wrap, then place them all in a zip-top bag and freeze. They can last up to 3 months in the freezer. To enjoy, simply thaw at room temperature or pop a muffin in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds. If you prefer a bit of a crisp top, you can also reheat them in the oven at 350°F for 10 minutes. Just remember to remove any plastic wrap before reheating!
Other Drool Worthy Muffins To Try
The Perfect Banana Muffins Apple Coffee Cake Muffins Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Muffins Blueberry Muffins Carrot Cake Muffins Banana Nut Muffins Double Chocolate Muffins Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
