Orange Chocolate 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.

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: