Chocolate Muffin Tops Delight (Printable)
Moist chocolate tops with rich cocoa and tender crumb, ideal for quick breakfasts or indulgent snacks.
# What You'll Need:
→ Dry Ingredients
01 - 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
03 - 1 teaspoon baking powder
04 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
05 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
→ Wet Ingredients
06 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
07 - 2/3 cup granulated sugar
08 - 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
09 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
10 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
11 - 3/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature
→ Add-ins
12 - 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
# How to Make It:
01 - Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
02 - Whisk together all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
03 - In a large bowl, whisk melted butter with granulated and brown sugars until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then stir in vanilla extract.
04 - Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix gently. Pour in buttermilk, then add the remaining dry ingredients. Stir until just combined, avoiding overmixing.
05 - Fold semisweet chocolate chips into the batter.
06 - Using a large cookie scoop or 1/4 cup measure, drop mounds of batter onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them approximately 2 inches apart.
07 - Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until edges are set and centers appear just baked. Avoid overbaking.
08 - Let muffin tops cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- They bake in under 15 minutes, so you can have warm chocolate treats before anyone notices you disappeared into the kitchen.
- The tops are meant to be cakey and rich, which means you skip the fussing and get straight to that tender, moist crumb everyone remembers.
- One batch fills your kitchen with the kind of chocolate aroma that makes people show up asking what you're making.
02 -
- Room temperature eggs and buttermilk aren't fussy details—they actually incorporate smoothly without creating lumps, which means a better texture in the end.
- The moment they look barely done is exactly when you pull them out; the residual heat keeps cooking them gently and they stay impossibly soft.
- Overmixing is the most common mistake because it's tempting to blend everything into a smooth batter, but that develops gluten and makes them tough instead of tender.
03 -
- If you don't have buttermilk, mix regular milk with lemon juice or vinegar and let it sit for a minute—it's actually better than trying to skip it altogether.
- A cookie scoop is worth its weight because it ensures every muffin top is exactly the same size and bakes evenly, which means no guessing about doneness.