Chocolate Chip Muffins

Editor’s note: We’ve updated this recipe and think you’ll love it! If you’re looking for the previous version, don’t worry — you can still find it under Nealy’s Chocolate Chip Muffins.

Mornings are tough, but they can be made easier with a delicious breakfast. The choices for the morning meal are endless, from fluffy stacks of pancakes to crispy breakfast potatoes to handheld egg burritos. But my favorite way to begin the day is with a bakery-style muffin that takes its cue from a classic chocolate chip cookie. 

This is the ultimate chocolate chip muffin that you’ll want to bake again and again. These plush muffins have a tangy vanilla flavor and tall sugared peaks, but the kid in me knows that the best part is that every bite is studded with semi-sweet chocolate chips. Here’s how to make the very best chocolate chip muffins.

• It’s a sweet way to start the day. If you’ve ever wanted to eat chocolate chip cookies for breakfast, this is your chance. These muffins are soft, tall, and packed with chocolate chips.
• It’s a one-bowl winner. These muffins are a breeze to make and easy to clean up, as the batter is mixed up in a single bowl.

• All-purpose flour: Use the dip and sweep method to measure flour, and don’t pack it into the measuring cup.
• Buttermilk: This ingredient gives the muffins a subtle tangy flavor that keeps them from entering cupcake territory.
• Granulated sugar: I use a combination of brown and granulated sugars in my favorite chocolate chip cookies, but I stuck with just granulated sugar for these muffins. The sugar sweetens the muffins and lets the vanilla extract and chocolate chips be the stars.
• Leavening: Use both baking powder and baking soda for light, tall muffins. (If you’re not sure about the difference between baking powder and baking soda, we’ve got you covered.)
• Chocolate chips: Semi-sweet chocolate chips give these muffins a classic cookie flavor. Add just 1 cup for chocolaty flavor in every bite.

1. Bring eggs and buttermilk to room temperature. Using cold eggs and buttermilk straight from the fridge will cause the melted butter to seize into lumps. Bring the eggs and buttermilk to room temperature so the muffin batter will be more consistent and require less mixing. (If you’re in a rush, this is a foolproof way to quickly warm eggs.) 
2. Melt the butter. Heat in the microwave or on the stovetop until the butter is mostly melted. The residual heat will finish melting the butter without the splatters that come from overheating. 
3. Combine wet ingredients. Whisk the wet ingredients together until well-combined so that there’s less mixing to do once the flour is added. (Yes, granulated sugar and kosher salt count as wet ingredients here so they dissolve seamlessly into the batter.)
4. Add dry ingredients. Sprinkling the baking powder and baking soda evenly over the wet mixture before adding the flour ensures that it is evenly dispersed. 
5. Bake the chocolate chip muffins. Scoop the batter into the wells of a muffin pan and bake until tall and golden-brown. (These methods for determining if a cake is done baking work for muffins too.)

• Chocolate chip muffins are a great way to use up the leftovers of several bags of baking chips. As long as you use a total of 1 cup chips, you can use any combination of white, dark, or milk chocolate chips. You can also include butterscotch or peanut butter chips.
• For a crunchy muffin top, use coarse sparkling sugar or turbinado sugar in place of the final sprinkling of granulated sugar. 

Store these chocolate chip muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the muffins for up to 3 months and thaw at room temperature. 

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