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Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffins. Whole wheat vanilla cake made with browned butter, Greek yogurt, and swirled with plenty of semi-sweet chocolate chips. These bakery-style muffins are no fuss, whole grain, low sugar, and SO DELICIOUS! Finish the muffins with a salted vanilla sugar on top. These are so much simpler to make than you’d think (just 1 bowl). A wonderful muffin to enjoy anytime, and so much better than the bakery!

Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffins | halfbakedharvest.com

I’m on a muffin kick right now. Actually, I’ve been into recreating anything that can be picked up at your favorite bakery in town. Why? I think it’s because of where I live, which sometimes seems like the middle of nowhere.

Alight, alright, so I definitely don’t live in the middle of nowhere. But living in the mountains, where it snows ten, sometimes eleven, months out of the year, I sometimes crave city living and apparently local bakeries too. There just aren’t a lot of baked goods options beyond the grocery store here.

Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffins | halfbakedharvest.com

So, I made us all some muffins, which oddly aren’t something I’ve made much over the past ten years. But for the last couple of months I’ve been all about them!

I LOVE the peanut butter banana muffins I shared a month or so ago. But I decided that I now need classic chocolate chip muffins too. No banana, no peanut butter.

It took everything in me to not make this a banana muffin, as that’s what I would typically do, but these are perfect just as is!

Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffins | halfbakedharvest.com

Details, details

I wanted these to be two things 1. so simple to make. 2. extra tall and fluffy with more chocolate than is really necessary.

The batter starts with browned butter. Since there’s no banana or peanut butter, I wanted to add a little richness and nuttiness with golden brown butter. It was a good move and really makes the muffins stand out.

Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffins | halfbakedharvest.com

Then a little maple syrup to sweeten, yogurt for moisture, eggs, lots of vanilla extract. If you have it, add 1-2 teaspoons instant coffee or 2 tablespoons hazelnut liquor with the vanilla. This is totally optional, but adds to the muffin. I know those ingredients may seem kind of different, but the flavors really highlight the chocolate.

The dry is my basic mix, whole wheat pastry flour, baking powder, and salt.

Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffins | halfbakedharvest.com

And then the topping, a salty vanilla mix. Instead of just a sprinkle of sugar on top like a lot of bakeries will do, I used sugar, mixed with flaky Maldon sea salt, and vanilla bean powder.

Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffins | halfbakedharvest.com

So much more delicious with the additions of sea salt and vanilla, a nice little sweet/salty topping. These muffins are soft and fluffy with so much melty chocolate, using semi-sweet chocolate chips is key.

These are great warm or at room temperature. But please, have at least one warm, right out of the oven…truly just the best thing ever.

Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffins | halfbakedharvest.com

Looking for other yummy bakery items?? Here are my favorites: 

Giant Double Blueberry Muffin Cookies

Cream Cheese Swirled Cinnamon Carrot Cake Muffins

Baked Blueberry Cinnamon Sugar Doughnuts

Chocolate Chunk Chai Banana Muffins

Chocolate Chunk Rye Banana Bread

Easy Chocolate Cinnamon Crunch Knots

Lastly, if you make these Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffins, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffins

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 12 muffins
Calories Per Serving: 331 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Ingredients

Salty Vanilla Sugar (optional)

Instructions

  • 1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line 11-12 muffin tins with paper liners.
    2. Add the butter to a skillet set over medium heat. Cook until the butter begins to brown, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a heatproof bowl. Let cool 5 minutes or so.
    3. To the butter, add the maple syrup, Greek yogurt, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Add the flour, baking powder, and kosher salt, mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. 
    4. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin tins, filling all the way to the top. In a bowl, mix the sugar, sea salt and vanilla powder with your finger tips for 1 minute. Sprinkle over each muffin. Place in the oven, then turn the oven down to 350. Bake for 20-22 minutes, until just set. Enjoy, enjoy!
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Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffins | halfbakedharvest.com
4.61 from 120 votes (51 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Truly delicious! Perfect sweetness!
    Based on comments I decided to used sour cream and there was no sour flavor.
    Thank you!

    1. Hey Ania,
      Happy Sunday!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT

  2. 5 stars
    I thought these were great! I used AP flour and sour cream, and I didn’t do the topping as I didn’t have vanilla bean. I did use maple syrup aged in a bourbon barrel. Very moist and tasty!

    1. Hey Karen,
      Wonderful! I am so glad to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! Happy Easter! xT

  3. 5 stars
    These are amazing! I made them as written except for the optional topping as I didn’t have any vanilla powder so I just topped with turbinado sugar. Already baking another batch to share with friends!

    1. Hey Lauren,
      I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and your comment, so glad to hear it turned out well! xT

  4. 5 stars
    These are so good! I love that they are a healthy chocolate chip muffin option. They came out so fluffy and delicious.

    1. Hey Haley,
      Happy Monday! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your comment, I’m so glad it turned out well for you! xT

  5. 2 stars
    I just made these and unfortunately, they’re very bland. You can taste the flour.
    You need to add granulated sugar. The syrup does not give it enough sweetness.

    1. Hi there,
      Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear they were not enjoyed! xx

  6. 5 stars
    Delicious! I used AP flour, sour cream, and 3/4c sugar instead of maple syrup. They were exactly that bakery style texture. No leftovers here! Rave reviews from all eaters.

    1. Hey Melissa,
      Happy Monday!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe and your comment, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xT

  7. 3 stars
    Not sure what I’m missing here, but these were pretty meh. I used the whole wheat pastry flour and it gave them a weird, almost sour taste (possible the Greek yogurt contributed too). The batter was barely sweet, and the salt mixture was too salty. Overall they tasted like health food. Ok, but not actively good. The texture was nice – maybe with AP flour and some sugar they might be better.

    1. Hi Kate,
      Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear they were not enjoyed! I think the sour taste you are getting is from the greek yogurt. Sure, all purpose flour and sugar would definitely make these sweeter than the maple syrup. Again, so sorry! xT

    2. 3 stars
      Same. I thought they had a funny sour taste. My husband liked them, but to your point, they don’t taste like a muffin. More like a health food, even though they aren’t.

  8. 4 stars
    I used GF all purpose flour because that’s what I had but otherwise stuck to the recipe and these turned out fluffy, cakey and delicious! The browned butter and sprinkle of maldon salt and sugar (I used coconut sugar) is a nice touch. I didn’t have vanilla powder and it was fine.

    1. Hi Catherine,
      Happy Monday! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a go and your comment! Love to hear that it turned out well:)

  9. They taste nice, but turned out a bit denser/chewier than I expected if that makes sense? Is that the proper texture or did I mess something up?
    Thanks!

    1. Hi Britta,
      Thanks so much for trying these muffins and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear they were dense for you! Did you use the whole wheat pastry flour or the all purpose flour? The pastry flour definitely gives these a lighter texture. Let me know if this was helpful or not! xx