{"id":206757,"title":"Chocolate Chip Muffins","modified":"2026-11-14T20:06:00+01:00","plain":"Bakery-style American muffins with a big, golden, crackly dome and a soft crumb packed with mini dark chocolate chips.\n\n\n\nOn Sunday mornings, the smell of butter and vanilla drifts through the kitchen long before the timer goes off. The muffins come out of the oven with domed tops spilling over their liners, cracked and covered in sugar that crunches between your teeth. \n\n\n\nYou peel the paper off the first one while it\u2019s still warm, the crumb breaks open and the chocolate melts on your fingers. With a few American pancakes alongside, brunch is served, and the cooling rack empties fast.\n\n\n\nThe fruity version: blueberry muffins\n\n\n\nWhat Is a Chocolate Chip Muffin?\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s a small, individual American cake baked in a muffin pan, with chocolate chips in the batter and on top. It combines the chocolate of American cookies with a soft, airy cake crumb. You can spot the bakery-style version by its big golden dome, which rises well above the liner.\n\n\n\nWhat sets it apart from a cupcake is the method. For muffins, you prepare the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients separately, then bring them together, mixing as little as possible, which gives a more open crumb. A cupcake starts with softened butter creamed with the sugar, for a finer, tighter crumb.\n\n\n\nWant to compare? Here are our vanilla cupcakes\n\n\n\nA Quick Bread from American Coffee Shops\n\n\n\nIn the United States, the muffin is one of the \u201cquick breads,\u201d breads and cakes leavened with baking powder, with no fermentation. That\u2019s what sets it apart from American cinnamon rolls, which are brioche-style rolls raised with yeast. It\u2019s eaten at breakfast as well as for an afternoon snack, and remains a classic of American cuisine.\n\n\n\nThe bakery-style muffin is the one you find in coffee shops and bakeries: bigger, very domed, with a cracked, sugary top, a far cry from the small, flat muffins of family recipes. It\u2019s enjoyed with a hot drink, like American donuts. For a denser, more chocolatey snack, there are also American brownies.\n\n\n\nThe Main Ingredients in Chocolate Chip Muffins\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe base is all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and a little baking soda. Weigh the flour: too much flour is the number one cause of dry muffins. The sugar also keeps the crumb tender, which is why you shouldn\u2019t cut back on it.\n\n\n\nThe eggs, full-fat sour cream and whole milk should be at room temperature. The sour cream adds flavor and a touch of tanginess that balances the sugar; Greek yogurt can stand in for it. The melted butter brings the flavor, and the sunflower oil keeps the muffins moist, just as in American carrot cake.\n\n\n\nMore chocolate chips? Treat yourself to American blondies\n\n\n\nMini dark chocolate chips spread more evenly through the batter than large ones, which tend to sink to the bottom. If you can\u2019t find them, a bar of dark chocolate chopped into small pieces will do the trick. On top go more mini chips and, if you like, coarse sugar for a crunchy crust.\n\n\n\nTechnical Tips for a Big Dome\n\n\n\nThe dome comes down to three steps: the batter rests for 30 minutes, the liners are filled to the top, and baking starts in a very hot oven. Resting lets the flour hydrate, and the batter gains the strength to rise high.\n\n\n\nThe initial heat sets the edges and pushes the batter upward. Then you lower the oven temperature without opening the door. Since every oven is different, check with a toothpick starting 8 minutes after lowering the heat: overbaked muffins dry out.\n\n\n\nServe Them Warm\n\n\n\nWhen they\u2019re warm, the chips are still melting and the vanilla comes through in the crumb. Coffee, black tea, a glass of milk or an ube latte all go well with them, at breakfast or as an afternoon snack.\n\n\n\nFor tomorrow\u2019s afternoon snack, a banana bread\n\n\n\nOnce cooled, keep them in an airtight container: they\u2019ll still be soft the next day. They freeze for up to 3 months in a tightly sealed freezer bag. For more chocolate chip snacks, also try the air fryer cookies.\n\n\n\n\n\n\tChocolate Chip Muffins\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\tDry Ingredients284 g all-purpose flour2 teaspoons baking powder0.5 teaspoon baking soda200 g granulated sugar0.5 teaspoon saltWet Ingredients2 large eggs, (at room temperature)120 ml sour cream (full-fat, at room temperature)2 teaspoons vanilla extract60 ml sunflower oil56 g butter (unsalted, melted)180 ml whole milk, (at room temperature)Chocolate230 g mini dark chocolate chipsToppingMini dark chocolate chips, (for topping)25 g coarse sugar or raw cane sugar crystals (optional)\t\n\t\n\t\tDry IngredientsSift the flour, baking powder and baking soda into a large bowl.Add the sugar and salt.Whisk to distribute them evenly.Wet IngredientsIn a medium bowl, combine the eggs, sour cream, vanilla, oil, melted butter and milk.Whisk until the mixture is completely smooth.BatterPour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients.Gently whisk, just until no streaks of dry flour remain.Stop as soon as the batter is combined, without overmixing: a few small lumps may remain; they disappear as you fill the liners.Gently fold in the mini chocolate chips.RestingCover the bowl.Let the batter rest for 30 minutes while the oven preheats.Oven and PanPreheat the oven to 220\u00b0C.Line the 12 cups of a standard muffin pan with paper liners.FillingDivide the batter among the liners using an ice cream scoop of about 60 ml or a large spoon, filling them all the way to the top.Do not stir or press down the batter once it is in the liners.Sprinkle a few mini chocolate chips over the top of each muffin, and be generous: they spread apart as the muffins rise.Sprinkle generously with coarse sugar, if desired.BakingBake for 5 minutes at 220\u00b0C.Without opening the oven door, lower the temperature to 180\u00b0C.Continue baking for 8 to 15 minutes, starting to check at 8 minutes.Check for doneness: a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean, apart from any traces of melted chocolate, and the tops should spring back when pressed.Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes.Turn them out onto a wire rack.Ideally, serve warm.\t\n\t\n\t\tThe secret to the dome: fill the liners all the way to the top, let the batter rest, then start baking in a very hot oven. Resting gives the flour time to hydrate: the batter gains the strength to rise high and trap the gases from the leavening. The initial heat gives the leavening a boost and sets the edges, which forces the batter to rise upward instead of spreading out.\nA wide dome rather than a peaked one: for broader tops with nicely golden edges, preheat to 200\u00b0C, bake for 5 minutes, then lower to 190\u00b0C without opening the door and continue baking for 13 to 15 minutes.\nBaking time: depending on your oven, baking after the temperature drop can take anywhere from 8 to 15 minutes. Start checking with a toothpick at 8 minutes: overbaked muffins dry out.\nChocolate: mini chips distribute more evenly through the batter. If you use regular-size chips, which tend to sink to the bottom, take 1 tablespoon of the flour mixture and toss the chips in it before folding them into the batter. Any chocolate works: dark, semisweet or milk. If you can't find mini chips, coarsely chop a bar of dark chocolate, or regular chips, into small pieces.\nSour cream: this means American sour cream, a thick, tangy, full-fat cream. In Germany, Schmand or saure Sahne is a close match. Greek yogurt also works as a substitute.\nFlour: American all-purpose flour corresponds to T55 in France and Type 550 in Germany. Weighing it is the most accurate method: too much flour is the number one cause of dry muffins.\nDon't reduce the sugar: it holds in moisture and keeps the muffins soft. Don't overmix the batter either, or the gluten will make the crumb tough.\nAdd-ins: you can add up to about 120 ml of chopped walnuts or pecans, or dried fruit.\nStorage: they're best warm, and they stay soft the next day. They freeze very well for up to 3 months in a tightly sealed freezer bag.\n\t\n\t\n\t\tGo\u00fbterAm\u00e9ricaine","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206757","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=206757"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206757\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/205949"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=206757"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=206757"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=206757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}