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.
Table of Contents
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
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:
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.
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
Chocolate Orange Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (50 g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- ½ cup (120 g) sour cream at room temperature
- ½ cup (120 ml) orange juice at room temperature, Note 1
- ½ cup (115 g) vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons orange zest Note 2
- 1 cup (200 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Equipment
- Muffin pan
- whisk
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
– 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
