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These mini chocolate chip muffins are the perfect snack, quick breakfast, or healthier sweet treat to have on hand. They have a light, fluffy texture and warm, gooey chocolate chips that provide just the right amount of sweetness.
Love muffins? You have to try banana nutella muffins, banana blueberry muffins, or coffee cake crumb muffins. Or try any of our gluten-free muffins.
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Made with all-natural sweeteners and a little extra protein, you can feel better about serving these baked goods to kids. Plus, their mini size makes it great for smaller appetites–or a midnight snack for mom.
Craving more delicious muffins or just some regular-sized muffins? Lighten up the morning with our healthy banana muffins or these healthier lemon poppyseed muffins with fresh squeezed lemon juice.
For another dessert to keep frozen on the ready, this edible cookie dough is one of our most popular recipes. And if that’s a hit, be sure to try healthy edible cookie dough or edible brownie batter next.
Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins Recipe
- Simple recipe: This mini muffin recipe comes together in a few easy steps and requires minimal cleanup.
- Great for the entire family: These homemade muffins are the perfect size for little ones, but you won’t be able to resist them either.
- Delicious snack: They’re a great thing to toss in the kids’ lunch box for snack time. And they’re the perfect treat to have on hand when their friends are over.
Looking for a larger version? Try these chocolate chip muffins with the perfect bakery-style domed top.
Ingredients You Need
Here are the basic ingredients for these mini chocolate chip muffins. Most are pantry staples and easy (and affordable) to find in grocery stores. Jump down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact measurements.
- All-purpose flour: You can use whole wheat flour or gluten-free if needed.
- Leavens: The mixture of baking soda and baking powder makes the muffins light and fluffy. They also help the muffins rise high for the perfect domed muffin top. Make sure they’re not expired!
- Salt: It’s best to stick with table (iodized) salt for baking.
- Mini chocolate chips: Use dark chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Eggs: Cold eggs will affect the temperature of the melted butter so it’s important to use room temperature for best results. To warm them quickly, place them in a medium mixing bowl and cover them with warm water. You may need to drain and add more warm water 1-2 more times as the cold eggs will chill the water quickly.
- Plain Greek yogurt: Allow it to come to room temperature. Sour cream makes a good substitute for yogurt in baking.
- Milk: Wet ingredients help to keep the muffins tender and moist.
- Vanilla extract: A little bit goes a long way in giving these little muffins the best flavor.
- Maple syrup: We love this refined sugar-free option, however, you can use coconut sugar or brown sugar (which is a great coconut sugar substitute).
- Unsalted butter: For a non-dairy substitute, use vegan butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled
- Coarse sugar: For sprinkling on top of your baked muffins. Talk about bakery-style muffins!
How to Make Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins
The full printable recipe is below, but let’s walk through the steps with some photos and a video so you have a clear idea of what to expect. This mini chocolate chip muffin recipe is really easy and these step-by-step instructions will make sure they turn out every time.
VIDEO: Watch How to Make Them
Mix Dry Ingredients: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and 3/4 cup of mini chocolate chips in a large mixing bowl.
Mix Wet Ingredients: In a separate large bowl, whisk together the eggs and Greek yogurt until completely smooth and no yellow streaks from the eggs remain. Then mix in the vanilla extract, maple syrup, and melted butter.
Combine & Rest the Batter: Pour the liquid ingredients into the bowl with dry ingredients, using a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl.
Stir gently to combine, stopping right when the liquid mixture is combined with the dry mixture. Be careful not to overmix. Let the batter rest for 15 minutes or up to 1 hour.
Prepare the Oven & Muffin Tins: While they’re resting, preheat the oven to 425°F. Line miniature muffin tins with mini muffin paper liners and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to gently run the spoon through the batter, trying not to knock out any of the air from resting.
Overfill each muffin cup slightly so the batter is just above the edge line of the tin. Top each muffin with the remaining mini chocolate chips and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Bake & Serve: Bake in the preheated oven for 2-3 minutes then lower the temperature to 350°F with the muffins still in the oven. Finish baking for 9-10 more minutes, or until the tops or set and the edges are slightly golden brown.
Insert a toothpick or knife into the center of a muffin. If it comes out clean, the muffins are done and ready to come out. You can easily prepare the next batch while the first batch bakes. Allow the muffins to rest and cool on a wire rack before serving.
Recipe Testing Notes
- Extra liquid: The first time we tested this the batter was way too thick and dry resulting in thick and clumpy muffins. We added more liquid to give them more moisture and they were much better.
- Rest period: We tried resting them for 15 minutes and one hour. The ones that rested longer turned out better, but they’re still delicious and tall if you only have 15 minutes. The resting period helps the starch molecules in the flour absorb the liquid, giving the batter a thicker consistency. You can also cover the batter with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge overnight to bake the next morning.
- Paper liner or no: We tested these with a paper liner and without. You definitely need to spray the paper liners or the muffins will stick to them, but the muffins without liners worked just as well.
Recipe FAQs
A mini muffin tin has a larger number of smaller cups (usually 24). The cups in a mini muffin tin are significantly smaller, with a capacity of about 1/8 to 1/4 cup per muffin. Mini muffin tins are used to make bite-sized or miniature muffins and cupcakes.
If you don’t have a muffin pan, you have a couple of options. Fill the muffin batter into the mini-sized paper liners on a baking sheet or use small oven-safe glassware, silicone cupcake molds or ramekins.
Proper storage is crucial for maintaining moisture in mini muffins. Allow the muffins to cool completely, and then store them in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag. This helps retain moisture and prevents them from drying out. If you want to keep them fresh for an extended period, you can freeze them individually or in batches.
There can be several reasons why your mini muffins are turning out dry. Here are some possible factors to consider: over-baking, incorrect oven temperature, over-mixing the batter, insufficient moisture, or incorrect ingredient ratios. By addressing these potential causes, you can make adjustments to your baking process and recipe to help prevent dry mini muffins.
Expert Recipe Tips
- Don’t skip the rest period. Let the muffin batter rest for 15 minutes after it’s mixed and before you scoop it into the muffin pan. Starch molecules absorb the liquid, causing them to swell, and giving the batter a thicker, more viscous consistency. This also allows the gluten to relax and helps work out any air bubbles.
- Bake the muffins at a high temperature (425ºF) initially, then lower to 350ºF to bake the muffins all the way through. The initial high heat causes the muffins to rise quickly, creating a solid dome.
- Fill your muffins all the way to the top of the mini-muffin pan.
- For bakery-style muffin tops, line a 12-count mini muffin pan with 6 muffin liners, meaning you’ll only fill every other muffin well with batter. Filling every other cup allows the muffin top to spread and dome without running into each other.
What to Serve with Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins
Every breakfast pastry deserves a coffee to go along with it. When faced with the choice of an iced latte vs iced coffee, it all comes down to personal preference. A favorite of ours is this iced caramel latte. If matcha is more your thing, this iced matcha latte is a great coffee alternative. For another espresso-free milk and coffee drink, try a smooth and creamy dalgano coffee that uses instant coffee.
If you’re looking for something to round out your breakfast, try one of our smoothies or protein bowls. Our tropical kale smoothie and mango spinach smoothie are both packed with plenty of good vitamins, fiber, and protein.
Protein bowls like this mocha or green smoothie bowl are another perfect way to sneak in your daily values of nutrients.
Freezing and Storing Tips
Allow the muffins to rest and cool on a wire rack before storing them. Place them in an airtight container for up to three days at room temperature. They’ll keep in the fridge for up to five days and in the freezer for up to three months. If serving from frozen, thaw them overnight and warm them up in the microwave before eating.
More Muffin Recipes
More of our favorite muffin recipes that make a great quick snack are in this list of the best 15 healthy muffins for kids. It includes paleo, grain free, vegan, and whole wheat recipes with tons of delicious flavors.
If you’re looking for regular size muffins with regular size chocolate chips, these chocolate banana blender muffins come together in minutes and they’re gluten-free!
If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. You can also tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins
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Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour or whole wheat flour gluten-free if needed
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1 /2 cups mini chocolate chips divided
- 2 large eggs room temperature (Note 1)
- 1 cup plain greek yogurt or sour cream room temperature (Note 2)
- 1/2 cup milk any kind
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup maple syrup (Note 3)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, vegan butter, or coconut oil, melted and cooled
- Coarse sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and 3/4 cup of mini chocolate chips in a medium bowl.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the eggs and greek yogurt until completely smooth and no yellow streaks from the eggs remain. Then mix in the vanilla, maple syrup and melted butter.
- Add the dry ingredients to the our the wet ingredients in one addition. Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to gently stir to combine, stopping right when it’s combined. Do not over mix.
- Set the batter aside and let it rest for at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour. This helps the starch molecules in the flour absorb the liquid, giving the batter a thicker consistency. You can also cover the batter with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge overnight to bake the next morning.
- While they’re resting, preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a mini muffin tin with mini muffin liners and spray them with non stick spray.
- When you’re ready to bake, use a mini scoop or tablespoon to gently run the spoon through the batter, trying not to knock out any of the air from resting. Overfill each liner slightly so the batter is just above the edge line of the tin.
- Top each muffin with the remaining mini chocolate chips and sprinkle on coarse sugar, if desired. Bake in the preheated oven for 2-3 minutes then lower the temperature to 350°F, with the muffins still in the oven, and finish baking for 9-10 more minutes, or until the tops are set and the edges are slightly golden brown.
Notes
Equipment
- Mini Muffin Tin
- Mini Muffin Paper Liners
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
