These cocoa muffins are only slightly sweet and have an adult-pleasing cocoa flavor rather than an overtly fudgy chocolate smack. Between their restrained chocolatiness and the fact that we call them muffins rather than cupcakes, it’s really quite easy to convince yourself they’re healthy.
Contents
Why Our Testers Loved This
The testers were delighted that these chocolate muffins were so simple to make that even the kids could help and appreciated that they froze well. Joan O. described them as “moist, chocolatey, delicious, and not overly sweet.”
What You’ll Need to Make This
- Dutch process cocoa–This gives your muffins that deep chocolate flavor. Don’t attempt to substitute natural cocoa powder.
- Semisweet chocolate–This is optional. (Yeah, right!) It balances the dark richness of the cocoa with little bursts of sweetness.
- Eggs–For the best results, use room-temperature eggs. This will give your muffins a softer, airy texture.
- Oil—Any neutral-flavored vegetable-based oil, such as sunflower, canola, or vegetable oil, will work here. Don’t use strong-flavored oil, though, as it will alter the flavor of the muffins.
- Vanilla extract–Only the real stuff, please!
How to Make Chocolate Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a muffin tin with liners.
- Whisk the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Beat the eggs in a large bowl with a whisk.
- Whisk in the milk, oil, and vanilla.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until just combined.
- Fold in the chopped chocolate.
- Divide the muffin batter among the wells, filling each one 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then remove them from the muffin tin and let them cool completely on the wire rack.
Common Questions
Great question. Muffins and cupcakes may look alike, but, m’dear, looks do deceive. Muffins are cupcakes’ scruffy, blue-collar cousins, often studded with nuts, fruits, or veggies and often topped with a sprinkle of sugar or mounds of streusel. They’re usually mixed quickly by hand to avoid overbeating and a tough texture. Cupcakes are sweeter and more tender. Think elegant mini cakes. They boast a light, airy texture and wigs of generous swoops of frosting.
Dutch-process cocoa undergoes a different process than your plain ole powdered cocoa. The result is a less acidic, smoother, darker, and more mellow cocoa that’s 100% worth the swap. Read more on the differences between natural and Dutch-process cocoa. The most widely available Dutch-processed cocoa is Hersey’s Special Dark.
Absolutely. Simply add your favorite plant-based milk in place of the dairy.
You can. Just cool them completely, secure them in an air-tight ziptop bag, and freeze them for up to two months.
Storage Instructions
Once the muffins have cooled completely, store them in a resealable bag or airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day. For longer storage, stash them in the freezer for up to two months. Thaw them on the counter at room temperature for about 1 hour.
Helpful Tips
- For best results, always weigh your ingredients.
- Don’t fill your muffin wells more than 3/4 full, or they may overflow during baking.
More Superb Muffin Recipes
Write a Review
If you make this recipe, or any dish on LC, consider leaving a review, a star rating, and your best photo in the comments below. I love hearing from you.–David
Amazing recipe! I’m a baking novice and wanted to try out a muffin recipe. These cocoa muffins were easy to make, came out super moist and chocolate-y! I will definitely be making them again, maybe adding chocolate chips next time!
Kiki
Chocolate Muffins
Ingredients
- Paper muffin cups
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa powder, sifted
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups milk, (whole or low-fat but not nonfat)
- 1/3 cup mild vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Position an oven rack in the center of the oven. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper cups.
- Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until lightly beaten.
- Whisk in the milk, oil, and vanilla until smooth.
- Stir in the flour mixture with a wooden spoon until moistened.
- Fold in the chocolate chunks.
- Fill the prepared tins about 3/4 full. Reserve any leftover batter for a second batch. Bake for 20 to 23 minutes, or until the muffins have firm, rounded tops, and a toothpick inserted into the center of one muffin comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
- Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.
- Remove the muffins from the pan and let them cool on the rack for 5 minutes.
- Make them disappear. You can keep them in an airtight container or in resealable plastic bags for up to 24 hours at room temperature or stash them in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Notes
- Weigh your ingredients–For best results, always weigh your ingredients.
- Don’t overfill–Don’t fill your muffin wells more than 3/4 full, or they may overflow during baking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
I had a chocolate craving and found this easy chocolate muffin recipe. I will definitely be making them again. They’re moist, chocolatey, delicious, and not overly sweet.
I also like that these freeze well. Freezing them is great for portion control, especially since my hubby and son aren’t big chocolate eaters, and I don’t feel I have to eat up a whole bunch before they go bad. I can eat one, save one for the next day, and freeze the rest for later.
This simple chocolate muffin recipe is great for little ones to help make because the muffins mix together quickly. I like them because they’re not very sweet.
I also think these would be good as mini muffins by reducing the baking time to about 10 minutes.
Am not a fan of this recipe. Maybe I was expecting something different but I thought the taste was a lot like the taste of the unsweetened coco powder I used (Hersey’s). I baked 6 normal sized muffins and the rest are mini (two bite) portions. Tasted better warm and were moist right out of the oven but didn’t care for them once they cooled.
Margie, am very sorry to hear that. You’re right, these are more on the side of not-too-sweet cocoa muffins as opposed to rich or fudgy chocolate brownies or cake. More like an old-fashioned sheet cake, if you will. You may want to try our Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake, which is also made with cocoa but is a much richer recipe.
YUM! I wanted to make my kids some quick muffins tonight and knew these would make them happy. I used half whole wheat pastry flour and half AP flour, 2% milk, and 1/2 cup muscovado sugar since that was all I had. I love how they are just a bit sweet but not cupcake gooey sweet. I got 15 (after taking several spoons of batter for myself) muffins out of the batch. These are just fantastic with a dollop of cream cheese or mascarpone in the middle!
Amy, that is excellent! And glad to see the substitution all worked. Oh, cream cheese in the middle!
I wonder if there’s a difference between a “cocoa” muffin and a “chocolate” muffin? These turned out way lighter in texture and flavor than a chocolate muffin I made recently.
I was hoping that the vegetable oil would make it moister than it ended up being. I baked for 20 mins. Perhaps I should have checked sooner than that?
I also used kefir instead of milk, hoping it would lead to a richer flavor.
Anyhoo, easy to make! Tastes lovely. Just not what I was looking for in a chocolate muffin.
Jenny, basically, a cocoa muffin uses cocoa, which adds flavor but no richness, while a chocolate muffin uses melted chocolate (and something to melt that chocolate like butter or cream). That’s a richer muffin. We have one coming on the site this autumn, so keep a lookout.