There’s just something about a mini muffin, I don’t know really. These are perfect for your kids lunch or for your week of breakfasts and they’re really just pretty dang delicious.
These come together pretty quickly, although the batter does need to rest for about 30 minutes before baking. I’m using chopped milk chocolate in mine for these perfect soft chunks running throughout. Let’s get to it!
How to Make Chocolate Mini Muffins
This recipe can be mixed entirely by hand, starting with whisking together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. I’m using dutch-processed cocoa powder here, which I highly recommend. If you use natural cocoa powder, your muffins will be both lighter in color and in chocolate flavor.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until everything is well combined. Then we’re pouring the wet ingredients into the dry and mixing until there are just a few pockets of the flour mixture remaining. Then it’s time to add in the chopped chocolate.
Adding in the chocolate when the flour is not fully mixed in allows the flour mixture to lightly coat the chocolate, which helps prevent it from sinking to the bottom of the muffins while they bake.
Letting the batter rest at this stage gives the baking powder extra time to work which will create muffins with a taller domed top- it’s worth the wait! Then it’s time to scoop them off and bake them.
This recipe makes 24 mini muffins, or if you’d like to bake normal sized muffins you’ll get 12. They are fluffy and just the right amount of sweet- my kids love them and they’re the perfect thing to grab and go. Enjoy!
Ingredients for Chocolate Mini Muffins
Here is a quick breakdown of all the ingredients used in this recipe:
- Flour: I’m using all-purpose flour here, and I always scoop-measure my flour.
- Dutch-processed cocoa powder: Dutch-processed cocoa powder is a must for me- it creates a much deeper chocolate flavor and I do not recommend using natural cocoa powder.
- Sugar: Just your standard granulated white sugar here.
- Baking powder: This recipe uses baking powder to help the muffins rise in the oven.
- Salt: All baked goods should include a little bit of salt to help bring out the flavor. It will not make the muffins taste salty!
- Buttermilk: I’m using buttermilk in the recipe to create a tender texture that’s super delicious.
- Vegetable oil: You can use any neutral tasting oil in this recipe- I use vegetable oil. This helps keep the muffins moist and tender.
- Eggs: Eggs contribute to the cake-like texture here, as well as the overall moisture of the muffins.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla helps enhance the chocolate flavor in these muffins.
- Chopped milk chocolate: I love milk chocolate here for the extra sweetness since the muffins aren’t very sweet on their own.
Tips & Tricks for the Perfect Chocolate Mini Muffins
Here are all my tips and tricks to help along the way towards the best chocolate mini muffins:
- Do I have to use dutch-processed cocoa powder? Using dutch-processed cocoa powder makes a huge difference here and I do not recommend natural cocoa powder. I only use dutch-processed cocoa powder in all my recipes- it creates a deeper chocolate flavor!
- Do I have to use chopped milk chocolate? You can swap in chopped dark chocolate or even mini chocolate chips if you’d like here. I think it’s best with the pops of sweet milk chocolate running throughout, and I like using chopped chocolate for lots of different sized pieces.
- Can I use regular milk instead of buttermilk? If you don’t have buttermilk, you can mix about 1 tsp of white vinegar with regular milk and let it sit for about 5 minutes before continuing with the batter as directed.
- How do I know when the batter is fully mixed? You want to mix it gently until there are no dry pockets of flour remaining, but don’t over-mix this batter.
- Can I make normal sized muffins? Yes, this recipe will make 12 normal sized muffins if you prefer. You will need to bake the muffins for an additional 5-8 minutes.
- I’m at about 5,000 ft. above sea level, and I find that most people who live between about 3,000-7,000 ft. above sea level do not need to make any adjustments to my recipes.
Enjoy!
Chocolate Mini Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups flour
- 1/3 cup dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 6 oz chopped milk chocolate
Instructions
-
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, and salt until combined. In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and eggs.
-
Pour the wet mixture into the dry and use a rubber spatula to gently stir together, stopping when there are still a few pockets of the dry mixture not yet fully mixed in. Add in the chopped chocolate chunks, and finish stirring everything together until there are no dry pockets of flour remaining. The mixture will be lumpy- you want to mix until it’s just combined.
-
Cover with plastic wrap and let the mixture sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease a mini-muffin tin.
-
Once the batter has rested, fill your muffin tin cups so that the batter goes almost all the way to the top of each cup. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the muffins are puffed and a toothpick comes out mostly clean. I like to loosen the muffins from the tin gently while they are still hot, and then allow them to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before removing to cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!
Hello and welcome! My name is Nicole, and Dough-eyed is a food blog for people who want to bake for their family and friends in high-altitude areas. Think of me as a friendly voice there with you in the kitchen, here to give you confidence when you’re baking, and to help you with the struggles of baking at high-altitude. Come back every week for new recipes, tips, and advice on high-altitude baking!
Leave a Reply