Ultimate Double Chocolate Muffins {gluten-free option}

When it comes to double chocolate muffins, these giant muffins are the best of the best - moist, tender, and extremely chocolatey. They're loaded with three kinds of chocolate for an intense amount of chocolate flavor. And they can be made gluten-free!

Quick Note: This is an updated version of a post that originally appeared on Bright-Eyed Baker in 2014. Updates include new text and photos, and very minor tweaks to the recipe, including an option to make these muffins gluten-free!

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I'm just gonna put this out there to begin with: this is the kind of double chocolate muffin you make when you mean business. They're chocolate on chocolate to the max and you can't be sorry about that; this is not the time for lightened-up or healthified chocolate muffins. Are you with me? Then keep reading!

You know those jumbo, bakery-style double chocolate muffins you see at the store? I look at those and I expect something moist, cakey, and most of all CHOCOLATEY, but usually you get something else, something that makes eating chocolate for breakfast not-so-worth-it. And that? Well that just sucks. I've made my fair share of double chocolate muffins over the years, but these were the first to really check all the boxes for me. Moist? YES. Soft? YES. Tender? YES. Chocolatey? HECK YES. And in one of those rare moments of baked good perfection, these taste phenomenal whether you eat them at room temperature, warm, or  - I hate to say it but I will - straight from the fridge. They're a straight-up splurge if you have them for breakfast, or you can really get wild and serve them with whipped cream for dessert. Either way, I promise you, they're SO worth making.

Ingredients

It took a lot of tweaking to get the ingredients and proportions in these muffins just right, so it's important to stick to the recipe on this one. You'll need:

• All-purpose flour (gluten-free or regular) - YES, you can make these GF! Just use your favorite all-purpose gluten-free flour (make sure it contains xanthan gum).
• Natural cocoa powder - A full cup makes these muffins extra chocolatey. Natural cocoa powder is also acidic and will react with the baking soda in this recipe to create more rise.
• Baking powder - Like I mentioned here, baking powder is key for making bakery-style muffins with perfectly-domed tops.
• Baking soda - Neutralizes the acidic cocoa powder & sour cream, and helps the muffins rise.
• Salt - Brings out the flavors!
• Eggs and egg yolk - Eggs add structure; the extra egg yolk makes the muffins more tender.
• Granulated sugar - Balances out the cocoa powder for sweetness, and adds moisture and tenderness.
• Avocado, canola, or vegetable oil - For chocolate recipes, oil often trumps butter because it makes for a softer, more moist crumb. Butter is typically used for its flavor, but chocolate usually takes over the flavor anyway. ;)
• Sour cream - Sour cream keeps the batter thick (perfect for tall, giant muffins), and the fat content keeps the muffins moist & tender. You can use yogurt if you absolutely must, but for the best possible results I recommend sour cream.
• Vanilla extract - Adds another layer of flavor & complexity. I use vanilla extract in 99% of my baked goods.
• Chocolate chips / chopped chocolate - I highly recommend using a combination of different chocolates in this recipe (milk, semisweet, and bittersweet). The better the chocolate, the better the muffins.
• Sparkling sugar - Gives the muffin tops a sweet crunch, annnnd makes the muffins look even more like they came straight from a bakery (bonus).

Recipe tips

Tons of readers have already made these muffins successfully since I first shared the recipe, but if you're making these for the first time, here are a few extra pointers:

Wipe off the surface of the muffin tin after spraying it with cooking oil. When you fill the muffin cups, they will be FULL. To help prevent this from turning into a sad muffin-top disaster, we want to pull out every stop to make sure these muffins rise up and not out. Slick cooking oil on top of the muffin pan isn't going to do us any favors.

Cream together the eggs and sugar until the mixture is pale and the batter ribbons down from the beaters when lifted. This ensures the sugar is dissolved into the eggs, adds structure to the muffins, and gives the muffins their shiny, crinkly, brownie-like tops.

Use the best chocolate you can afford. I mentioned it before but it's worth saying again. If you want to make the ultimate double chocolate muffin, splurge on good cocoa powder and chocolate. I typically use Ghiradelli unsweetened cocoa, along with their milk chocolate baking chips, semisweet chocolate chips, and bittersweet baking bar.

Fill the muffin cups TO THE BRIM with batter. You're going to make this batter and think that surely you have enough of it to make 18 muffins. But hear this: If you want giant, bakery-style muffins, fill only 12 muffin cups, and fill them to the very top. I do this with my lemon poppy seed muffins, I do it with my banana chocolate chip muffins, and I do it with these muffins. Just follow the recipe and I promise you all will end well.

More chocolate muffin recipes

For more reasons to eat chocolate for breakfast, try these muffins!

Lightened-Up Double Chocolate Muffins - If you're looking for double chocolate chip muffins, but on the lighter side, here's where to look! These use a combination of whole wheat pastry flour and almond flour, and are made with almond milk to be dairy-free.

One-Bowl Glazed Chocolate Chip Muffins - These are simple-to-make, classic chocolate chip muffins topped with a sweet vanilla glaze. Can't go wrong there.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins - These muffins are easy to make, super soft & tender, and loaded with peanut butter and chocolate chips. They're also lightened up a bit from your typical peanut butter muffin, and dairy-free!

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