Rich and moist Sour Cream Double Chocolate Muffins made with an intense chocolate batter and studded with chocolate chips inside and out. They make a delicious breakfast or as a snack!
Calling all the chocolate lovers! I think you’ll go crazy for these extra rich Sour Cream Double Chocolate Muffins! These muffins are so moist yet dense and packed full of melted chocolate chips in every bite. They have everything you’d want in chocolate muffins. Once you make these, you will never look at another chocolate muffin recipe again!
This muffin recipe is so easy and literally takes a few minutes to whip up. They keep well for days and it can be your next easy breakfast or snack idea. I mean who can resist chocolate for breakfast?
My Secret Ingredients For Moist Chocolate Muffins
- Vegetable oil. To attain moist muffins, we are going to use oil instead of butter here. Vegetable oil contributes moistness far more reliably, a result of the fact that oil remains liquid at room temperature while butter solidifies. Liquid contributes to the sensation of moistness, and therefore cakes made with oil tend to be moister.
- Sour cream. We also use sour cream in the batter. Sour cream is one of the fattiest dairy products. The extra fat content of sour cream will make baked goods moister and richer than if you use only milk. In addition, the acid in sour cream tenderizes gluten, helping to create baked goods that are light and fluffy. You can swap for an equal amount of plain Greek yogurt.
- Melty chocolate chips. Look at the generous amount of chocolate chips inside and out. I really love dark chocolate chips in these muffins. They ensure there’s extra chocolate in each bite with the best melty experience. For the ultimate chocolate muffin experience unlike any others, make sure to use really good chocolate. And if you are not a fan of chocolate chips, feel free to substitute them with the chopped chocolate bar of your choice.
How to Get Domed Muffins
Everyone knows that the best part of the muffin is the top, right? How many of you have bought a muffin at a bakery and just were in awe of high they rose without really spilling over? Bakery muffins have gently mounded tops, extending beyond the boundaries of their liners. This is why it’s doubly disappointing when a batch of muffins emerges with barely-peaked little domes. So, how can we make tall, round bakery-style muffins at home?
The secret is to give your muffins a boost of extra hot heat when they first go in the oven to help the outside of the muffins to set quickly while the inside of the muffins continues to rise, resulting in the muffin top/domed look. By starting them off at such a high temperature at the initial high heat of 425°F/220°C also causes the batter to create a burst of steam that lifts the batter rapidly during the first few minutes of baking. Then, to prevent the muffins from browning too fast, then you need to reduce the oven temperature to 350°F/180°C.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Don’t overmix. Overmixing will result in tough, dense, dry muffins that don’t rise above their muffin liners. Since we are already topping these muffins off with some fairly heavy chocolate chips, we don’t want to do anything to the batter to keep it from rising. Make sure not to use an electric mixer for this recipe or you have a high chance of overmixing the batter. Just use a whisk or spatula to mix everything until just well combined.
- Don’t overbake. Muffins don’t take long to bake. Don’t overbake them to prevent them from drying out.
- Cool down. Once you remove the muffins from the oven, let them sit in their pan for a few minutes before removing them to a wire rack. However, remove them after five minutes otherwise you risk them going soggy as they cool in the pan.
More Chocolate Desserts
While you are here, check out also these chocolate dessert recipes.
- Moist Steamed Chocolate Cake
- Cashew Chocolate Granola
- Brown Butter Fudgy Brownies
- Chocolate Mousse
- Zebra-Striped Shortbread Cookies
Sour Cream Double Chocolate Muffins

Rich and moist Sour Cream Double Chocolate Muffins made with an intense chocolate batter and studded with chocolate chips inside and out. They make a delicious breakfast or as a snack!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (120 ml)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 gr)
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk (120 ml)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup sour cream (160 gr)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (240 gr)
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder (50 gr)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cups dark chocolate chips (340 gr), divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F/220°C. Line the muffin pans with cupcake liners.
- In a medium bowl, mix all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
- In a large bowl, whisk together vegetable oil, granulated sugar, eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and sour cream until well combined.
- Sift in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until well incorporated. Fold in 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips into the batter.
- Spoon the batter evenly into each cup or liner, filling each all the way to the top. Distribute the remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips evenly over the muffin tops, pressing them lightly into the batter.
- Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425°F/220°C. Then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F/180°C. Bake for an additional 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pans, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.
Notes
For longer storage, freeze muffins for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature or warm up in the microwave if desired.
Maddy says
Could you use espresso powder in addition to cocoa? Also can you use buttermilk
Jaja Bakes says
Hi Maddy,
Yes, you can add a little bit of espresso powder to enhance the chocolate flavor. I have never tried this recipe with buttermilk before, so I can’t answer that. But I think the buttermilk will make the batter thinner, so I would recommend Greek Yogurt to substitute the sour cream.
Madelyn Nielsen says
Delish! Substituted pain yogurt for milk (I was out), coconut and butter 50/50 for vegetable oil, duck eggs and used fresh milled flour and about half the chocolate chips *chef’s kiss*
Judy says
I made muffins yesterday, not yours and they stuck to the pan was this because I didn’t bake them five minutes at high-speed temp for 5 minutes? Also what size pans did you use
Madelyn Nielsen says
I’m not sure. I recommend trying again because they’re truly delicious and worth a second attempt
Maytha says
Why do you bother to leave a review when you didn’t actually make this recipe?
Madelyn Nielsen says
Recipes are a great base for creativity, especially when we need to be adaptable to what ingredients we have on hand or when a person has allergies or when we simply want to elevate the dish to the next level. I recommend being open-minded and creative when it comes to baking.
Suzanne Woolley says
Just made these and WOW, are they ever GOOD!! Made them gluten free with CUP4CUP brand gf flour. Turned out perfect!! Moist crumb. Only put in 3/4 cup chocolate chips, for less calories and expense, and there was still lots in the 12 muffins they made.
Lauren says
These muffins are great and we do love them, however they are a little dry. Any tips for this?
Thanks!
Helena Prentner says
I had the same problem at first, just add a little more sour creme and put a baking dish with water on the bottom of your oven for moisture!! helped a lot
Rachel says
Hi. Making these this morning for my fiancé. It’s her birthday and she just love’s chocolate muffins! I was wondering though, will this recipe work if I substitute brown sugar and Truvia mixed for the granulated sugar?
Jaja Bakes says
Hi Rachel. Sorry for the late reply. I have never tried substituting the granulated sugar with brown sugar and Truvia for this recipe, so I can’t say if this works or not.
Jenny says
Hello! May I ask where you got your muffin baking cups? They look like ramekins and I think they would be so useful for a lot of my baking needs. Thank you!
Jaja Bakes says
I got the muffin tins from my mother. But you can also find the aluminum tin (click the link to see) online on amazon.
Renee says
Hi, did you use standard cupcake liners, tall, or jumbo ones?
Thank you!
Jaja Bakes says
Hi, I used standard-sized cupcake liners.
Fatima says
100% successful recipe.. thank you for the recipe and the dome tip 😍.. the whole family approved
Jaja Bakes says
You’re welcome. Enjoy the muffins 🙂
Ruby says
I made these tonight and one of the kids said it was the best muffin he’s ever had. (It might be the first chocolate muffin he’s ever had. Once the oven was on 350 I took them out after 15 minutes and didn’t get them the extra 2 and I think they were perfectly done.
Adrienne says
They looked perfect with their lovely domed tops. Unfortunately, they were quite dry inside. I’m not sure if this had to do with the initial high heat or that I may have to adjust the time/temp for my oven. Also, I think that 1/2 a teaspoon of salt is too much and kind of overwhelms the overall flavor. Having said all of this, however, I will definitely make these adjustments and try making them again. Thank you for creating this recipe!
Kim says
Can I sub butter for the oil?
Jaja Bakes says
Yes, you can substitute the oil with melted butter. Keep in mind that muffins with melted butter will taste richer, but drier in texture.
Donna says
Can this be made with gluten free flour?
Jaja Bakes says
Hi Donna,
I never had this recipe made with gluten-free flour before. But I think you should be able to substitute all-purpose flour with gluten-free flour with the addition of xanthan gum to replace the gluten. Xanthan gum acts as a binder and provides structure to the baked goods. Some flour already contain xanthan gum or another binder and some do not. You can look on the package ingredient list and see if any binders are listed.
Hannah says
In an electric oven, I’ve found the initial temp increase gives the muffins a tough exterior. I tried leaving the 350 temp for the entire 15 minutes and the muffins came out moist and perfectly topped!
Jaja Bakes says
Hi Hannah, thank you for the feedback.
Carm says
How many muffins does this make?
Jaja Bakes says
Hi Carm. The recipe makes about 12-14 muffins.
Mary says
Hi! This recipe looks great! Question though…Do you use natural cocoa or Dutch cocoa powder? TIA
Jaja Bakes says
Hi Mary, I used Dutch-process cocoa powder because it gives the muffins a rich, dark chocolate flavor. You can also use natural cocoa powder for the recipe. Most of the flavor comes from the cocoa powder, so choose a good one!
Iris says
Hi, how long would they bake in a jumbo muffin tin?
Jaja Bakes says
Hi Iris, you can try baking them 3-5 minutes longer than the recipe instructions. Insert a toothpick into the middle of the muffins and when it comes out clean, you know that they are cooked. If not, put them back in the oven to bake again for several minutes and do the toothpick test again.
Madhuram says
I tried this recipe yesterday using flax egg (2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed + 1/4 cup water) instead of the eggs in the recipe and also added 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and the muffins turned out very good. Thank you for sharing such a simple yet delicious muffin recipe.
Kim says
Thank you for sharing your vegan recipe! ☺️