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Home » RECIPE » Breakfast » Orange Chocolate Muffins

Orange Chocolate Muffins

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By: Shinee Published: 12/22/2022Updated: 12/20/2022

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These double chocolate orange muffins make a decadent breakfast or treat! They have a tender crumb, intense chocolate flavor, and a hint of fresh orange.

orange chocolate muffins with orange slices.

Table of Contents

  • Why you’ll love this recipe:
  • Key Ingredient Notes:
  • How to make this recipe:
  • Tips for Success:
  • Make-Ahead Tips:
  • Storing Tips:
  • FAQs:
  • Must-Try Muffin Recipes:
  • Chocolate Orange Muffins

Why you’ll love this recipe:

Chocolate for breakfast? Yes, please! These sky-high chocolate muffins are the ultimate chocolatey treat, studded with chocolate chips and a bright pop of orange.

  • Whip them up in just 30 minutes
  • Made with simple ingredients & pantry staples
  • A tender and super moist crumb

They’re irresistibly rich, never dense or dry, and a million times better than store-bought muffins!

Chocolate orange muffins are freezer-friendly too, so you can whip up a batch and pop one in the microwave for a quick and simple breakfast or snack.

chocolate muffins with orange slices.

Key Ingredient Notes:

  • All-purpose flour – I’ve included the amount of flour by weight, and I highly recommend investing in a kitchen scale. It leaves little room for error in baking! If you don’t have a scale, use the spoon and level method. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off with the flat edge of a butter knife.
  • Natural cocoa powder – For that rich chocolate flavor! If you like a darker muffin, you can use Dutch processed cocoa powder.
  • Sour cream – For texture more than tang! Sour cream creates a light and moist crumb. If you don’t have sour cream, buttermilk is a good substitute.
  • Orange juice – Use pulp-free orange juice so you don’t have bits of pulp in your muffins.
  • Vegetable oil is a great choice for muffins because it keeps them super moist!
  • Orange zest – About two full oranges worth.
  • Semi-sweet chocolate chips – For double the amount of chocolate! Feel free to swap with milk or dark chocolate chips if you like.
ingredients for orange chocolate muffins.

How to make this recipe:

Orange chocolate muffins are a breeze to make! Here’s what you need to do:

1. Make the muffin batter

  • Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with paper liners (<- I loved these tulip muffin liners for these muffins).
  • In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, sour cream, orange juice, vegetable oil, and orange zest.
  • Pour the wet into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Don’t overmix or the muffins will get dense!
  • Stir in the chocolate chips.
how to make chocolate muffin batter in a bowl.

2. Bake the muffins

  • Scoop the muffin batter into the twelve muffin cups. The muffin cups will be full and that’s how they should be to give you those big, beautiful muffin tops!
  • Reduce the heat to 375 degrees and bake the muffins until a toothpick comes out clean, about 18 minutes.
  • Cool the muffins in the pan before you remove them. Hot muffins fall apart!
unbaked chocolate muffins, baked chocolate muffins.

Tips for Success:

  • Stir by hand, and don’t overmix! You don’t need a mixer, nor do you want to whisk out every little lump. Overmixing develops gluten, which creates a tough muffin instead of a soft and tender one.
  • Use muffin liners for easy removal. Greasing the pan works too, but muffin liners make removal a breeze! Muffin breakage is a buzzkill I prefer to avoid.
  • Don’t overbake the muffins. This may seem obvious, but an overbaked muffin is a dry muffin, no matter how good the recipe. Use the toothpick test, and stick a toothpick into the center of the muffin. If it comes out clean, they’re ready!
the inside of a chocolate orange muffin.

Make-Ahead Tips:

If you love to meal prep, muffins are an ideal candidate!

They’re easy to make, freezer-friendly, and thaw in a snap. Just pop one in the microwave and heat in 15-second increments until slightly warm.

Storing Tips:

  • Let the chocolate muffins cool before you store them, otherwise they will condensate inside the container. Store them in an airtight container for up to three days.
  • Muffins freeze well! I like to freeze them on a sheet pan or plate first, then transfer them to a large ziplock bag or freezer-safe container. This way they don’t get smooshed!

FAQs:

What’s the difference between a chocolate muffin and a chocolate cupcake?

Besides the obvious frosting difference, chocolate cupcakes are lighter and sweeter than muffins. Chocolate muffins have a slightly tighter crumb and denser, less sponge-like texture. They typically have taller tops and a mix-in, like chocolate chips or nuts.

Why are my chocolate muffins dry?

There are several reasons a muffin could be dry. It’s important to have the correct ratio of fat-to-flour which keeps the muffins moist. It’s crucial not to overbake the muffins either. Even a solid muffin recipe will be dry if it’s overbaked!

Must-Try Muffin Recipes:

  • Easy Chocolate Cherry Muffins
  • Blueberry Cheesecake Muffins
  • Easy Banana Muffins
  • Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins
orange chocolate muffins with orange slices.

Chocolate Orange Muffins

These double chocolate orange muffins make a decadent breakfast or treat! They have a tender crumb, intense chocolate flavor, and a hint of fresh orange.
5 from 1 vote
serves: 12 muffins
Prep: 12 minutes
Cook: 18 minutes
Total : 30 minutes
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (50g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon table salt
  • 2 large eggs at room temperature
  • ½ cup (120g) sour cream at room temperature
  • ½ cup (120ml) orange juice at room temperature, Note 1
  • ½ cup (115g) vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons orange zest Note 2
  • 1 cup (200g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Note: I test all my recipes with both measurements for the most precise and accurate result!

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 450°F (200°C). Grease the muffin pan, or line with paper liners.
  • To make the muffin batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  • In another large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, orange juice, vegetable oil and orange zest.
  • Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
  • Mix in chocolate chips. Don’t over-mix the batter, or your muffins will turn out tough and dense.
  • To bake: Divide the batter into 12 muffin cups. The muffin cups will be pretty full, and that's totally ok!
  • Reduce the heat to 375°F and bake the muffins for about 18 minutes, or until the inserted toothpick comes out clean.
  • Cool the muffins completely in the muffin pan before taking them out.

Tips & Notes:

Note 1: It’s best to use pulp-free orange juice so you don’t have bits of pulp in your muffins.
Note 2: Two tablespoons is the equivalent of about two medium sized oranges. 
Storing Tips:
– Let the chocolate muffins cool before you store them, otherwise they will condensate inside the container. Store in an airtight container for up to three days.
– Muffins freeze well! I like to freeze them on a sheet pan or plate first, then transfer them to a large ziplock bag or freezer-safe container. This way they don’t get smooshed!

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 280kcal (14%) Carbohydrates: 28g (9%) Protein: 4g (8%) Fat: 18g (28%) Saturated Fat: 6g (38%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g Monounsaturated Fat: 5g Trans Fat: 0.1g Cholesterol: 34mg (11%) Sodium: 156mg (7%) Potassium: 196mg (6%) Fiber: 3g (13%) Sugar: 15g (17%) Vitamin A: 132IU (3%) Vitamin C: 7mg (8%) Calcium: 32mg (3%) Iron: 2mg (11%)
* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full disclosure here.
Author: Shinee
Course:Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine:American
Diet:Vegetarian
orange chocolate muffins with orange slices.
Did you make this?Show me your creation! Tag me @shineshka and hashtag it #sweetandsavorybyshinee!
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  • Easy Chocolate Cherry Muffins
  • Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins
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