Small Batch Chocolate Chip Muffins

This recipe for small batch chocolate chip muffins is an easy one to whip up at home on the weekend or for a sweet treat on busy mornings during the workweek. This recipe yields six muffins and is a great option to bring or serve for smaller gatherings of friends and family.

Butter and Oil in these Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Muffins

My two main priorities with this recipe were 1) Creating a smaller batch of muffins and 2) Making sure they were nice and moist.

To make a tender muffin, I dove into this article from Handle the Heat, which explains some benefits of oil and butter and the role they play in baking. Among other things, they help create soft baked goods.

This article from Epicurious gives additional insights. Oil is physically more lightweight than butter. When melted, a cup of butter weighs around 227 grams, whereas a cup of vegetable or similarly neutral oil weighs around 218 grams. This explains why oil-based baked goods can have a lighter feel and taste.

Also, oil is 100% fat. However, the butter you'll find in most US grocery stores is about 80% fat. The remaining 20% consists of approximately 5% milk solids and 15% water. This is noteworthy because that water helps create gluten in a baked good. That gluten can lead to a dessert that's less tender than a cake made with oil.

With all that in mind, a combination of butter and a flavorless oil (like vegetable or canola) works well. The butter gives them flavor and structure, while the oil helps make them softer.

Ingredients for Fluffy Chocolate Chip Muffins

The full list of simple ingredients is in the recipe card below, but I'm calling out some of the noteworthy ones:

• Unsalted butter, softened to room temperature - Room temperature butter mixes more evenly with ingredients. Give your butter time to reach room temperature before using it.
• Canola or vegetable oil - Canola oil helps keep these muffins moist for days!
• Mini semi-sweet chocolate chips - Mini chocolate chips aren't necessary, but they're great because they spread more throughout the batter. That means you'll have more bits of chocolate in every bite! Regular-sized ones will work okay, too, if that's all you have on hand or can find in the store.

Steps for Making this Easy Recipe from Scratch

About an hour before beginning this recipe, bring your eggs, butter, and full-fat Greek yogurt (or sour cream) out of the refrigerator. Place them on your counter so they warm to room temperature.

Preheat your oven to 425°F.

Generously grease and flour a standard 6-count muffin pan or use paper liners. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together your sugars, vanilla extract, and butter on medium-high speed until well-incorporated, about 3 minutes. 

Scrape down bowl before then adding oil and eggs. Mix together until combined. Follow up by adding sour cream and milk and mixing well. 

Pour wet mixture into bowl of dry ingredients. With a wooden or rubber spatula, gently fold together wet and dry mixture until just combined.  Avoid over-mixing, as it can yield undesirably dense, tough muffins. The batter will be thick.

Fold in the chocolate chips.

Distribute muffin batter evenly into the pan, filling each of the muffin cups to the top. Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then, keeping the muffins in the oven, lower the temperature to 375°F. Continue baking for 12-15 more minutes. You'll know they're done when the tops are a light golden brown. Test doneness with a toothpick in the center of a muffin, and if it's clean, remove the pan from the oven.

Let muffins cool in pan about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

More Tips for Making Perfect Muffins

Secrets for Perfect Chocolate Chip Muffins

While a freshly baked muffin is delicious to eat, it will be noticeably more flavorful the following day.

Relatedly, refrain from biting into these muffins immediately after baking. I know it's tempting! But when you cut into a freshly baked bread, you’re releasing the steam. That steam is key in making your newest baked good remain moist and delicious.

When you can, prepare these small batch chocolate chip muffins an evening or day before you actually plan to eat them. Allowing the flavors time to meld together makes the taste ultimately a stronger one.

And if you want a warm muffin the next day, simply reheat them for about 10 seconds in the microwave on medium power.

But hey, you'll still have delicious chocolate chip muffins even if you bite into them mere minutes after they leave the oven!

More Ideas like this Chocolate Chip Muffin Recipe

If you liked these muffins, you may also want to try my white chocolate raspberry loaf cake.

And if you're looking for a something more fruity than chocolaty, take a look at these adorable mini lemon Bundt cakes. They're great for sharing with a crowd, and everyone gets to enjoy his or her own mini cake! They'd make for a more decadent breakfast dessert or anytime of day dessert, really.

Small Batch Chocolate Chip Muffins

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These small batch chocolate chip muffins are a great dessert to bring to gatherings with friends and family for breakfast or brunch.

• Author: Susan Gravatt
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 6 standard-sized muffins 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 and ⅓ cups (170 g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of ground nutmeg 
• 4 Tablespoons (60 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 T (25 grams) canola oil
• ⅓ cup (70 grams) granulated sugar
• 2 T (20 grams) brown sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• ¼ cup (65g) full-fat sour cream or greek yogurt, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons (24 grams) full-fat milk, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ⅔ cup (130g) mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

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Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 425°F. Generously grease and flour a standard 6-count muffin pan or line with muffin liners. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together your sugars, vanilla extract, and butter on medium-high speed until well-incorporated, about 3 minutes. 
4. Scrape down bowl before then adding oil and eggs. Mix together until combined. Follow up by adding sour cream (or Greek yogurt) and milk and mixing well. 
5. Pour wet ingredients into bowl of dry ingredients. With a wooden or rubber spatula, fold together wet and dry ingredients until just combined.  Avoid over-mixing, as it can yield a more dense muffin. The batter will be thick. Fold in the chocolate chips.
6. Distribute batter evenly into the pan, filling each muffin cup to the top. Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then, keeping the muffins in the oven, lower the temperature to 375°F. Continue baking for 12-15 more minutes. You'll know they're done when the tops are a light golden brown. Test doneness with a toothpick in the center of a muffin, and if it's clean, remove the pan from the oven.
7. Keep them in pan for about 10 minutes. Then let them come to room temperature on a cooling rack before storing in a container or serving immediately if desired. 

Notes

For any leftovers (hard to imagine you'll have much of these, though 😉 ), they can last at room temperature for about 2-3 days or a week in the refrigerator. They also freeze well for 2-3 months. Thaw before serving.