Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffin Recipe

Bakery-style muffins are enjoyed for the nostalgic taste and its convenience. Besides, these are typically larger, more moist, and have a higher dome than regular homemade muffins. They often have a soft and tender crumb with a slightly crunchy top.

There are specific baking techniques to follow to make sure that you achieve a higher dome. So, there are a few tricks you can adopt at home to make sure your muffins look deserving of being on the bakery shelf.

1. Use larger muffin tins or jumbo muffin tins so that your muffins are larger than the usual homemade ones. Also, make sure to fill your muffin tin cups to the top with batter.
2. To achieve a moist and tender crumb, prepare your batter with a combination of all-purpose flour and cake flour to create a lighter texture. Ensuring that the batter is mixed just until combined to avoid overmixing can help you avoid the denser texture.
3. Another trick is to start the baking process at a high temperature. Then, reduce the heat to create a burst of heat so that the muffins can begin rising quickly. This will make sure that your muffins have a tall crown on top over the fluffy inside.
4. Finally, add extra chocolate chips on top of each muffin cup. By doing this, the finished product will be studded with chocolate chips on top, which gives it the classic bakery-style muffin appearance.

Besides, there is also a specific muffin method, which is a baking term used in the preparation of muffin batter.

Muffin Method is a baking technique where the dry and wet ingredients are mixed separately and then finally combined well together at the end. It is a basic baking technique that has since been used for cakes, pancakes, waffles, and even bread. 

This method helps to create a tender and light texture in muffins, as overmixing can lead to a tougher result. The dry ingredients like flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt are mixed together in one bowl, while wet ingredients like eggs, milk, and melted butter are mixed in another. Finally, the contents of the two bowls are combined until just moistened.

Muffins are best served immediately after baking. Many people prefer warm muffins to go with a scoop of ice cream or with their morning coffee. However, if you have a batch of muffins that you'd like to store, you have to start by letting the muffins cool down completely.

Once the muffins are cool, you can store them in an air-tight container at room temperature for four to five days. To ensure that your muffins don't go stale, you can add a paper towel under the muffins. Also, add another one lightly on top of the muffins to help absorb any moisture.

If you're storing multiple layers of muffins, place a piece of parchment or wax paper between each layer to prevent them from sticking together.

Some muffins are good to go for almost a week, depending on the ingredients used. But if you want to keep your muffins for more than a week, freezing them is a feasible option. Wrap each muffin individually in plastic wrap or place them in a freezer bag.

These will freeze up for up to three months. However, it's best to avoid refrigeration as it tends to dry out the muffins.

In addition to the flavor and texture of these chocolate chip muffins, you will also appreciate the simple ingredient list of this recipe. All you need is a few basic ingredients that are usually available in your pantry. Each ingredient is essential to make the perfect bakery-style muffins.

• Milk - Buttermilk is the important ingredient on this list. The acidity of the milk combines with the baking powder to result in a fluffy texture.
• Chocolate Chips - This wouldn't be a chocolate chip muffin recipe without the chocolate chips, would it? Make sure to use a mixture of semi-sweet and miniature chocolate chips so that the sweetness is balanced.
• Flour - Flour is the foundation of these muffins. It is important to make a firm batter that can hold the chocolate chips.
• Baking Powder and Baking Soda - Raising agents are essential to make sure that the muffin will rise up despite the wet ingredients.
• Cinnamon and Nutmeg - Cinnamon and nutmeg are two of the most commonly used spices in baking. These spices bring out the flavors of muffin and go well with the chocolate flavor as well.
• Vanilla Extract and Salt - Both of these are used for flavor.
• Eggs - Eggs are the binding agents in the recipe. They are also responsible for adding moisture to the recipe.
• Sparkling Sugar - Sparkling sugar is similar to powdered sugar but doesn't have any molasses. It gives a finishing sparkle to your baked goods.
• Oil - Vegetable oil is also a common ingredient in baking. It makes sure that the muffins are moist and tender. You can also add melted butter to achieve a similar effect.

Substitution Tips

Even though most of these ingredients are important to achieve the perfect bakery-style chocolate muffin, there are a few substitutions you can do if you can't find all the ingredients.

1. You can replace buttermilk with sour cream or yogurt or by simply adding lemon juice to the good old milk.
2. If you can't find sparkling sugar, replace it with brown sugar or regular sugar
3. You can also leave nutmeg and only add cinnamon to the recipe if you'd like.

Exact Measurements of the Ingredients

• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp. sparkling sugar

To make delicious bakery-style chocolate chip muffins, follow these easy directions.

Step 1: Prepare the Pan and Oven

Begin by preheating your oven to 375°F (190°C). Then, line a muffin tin with paper liners or grease it lightly with shortening or softened butter. You can also use nonstick cooking spray on the tins.

Step 2: Mix The Ingredients

As mentioned earlier, you'll need to combine the dry and wet ingredients separately for this recipe. In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon of baking powder, and a pinch of salt.

In a separate bowl, beat together 1/2 cup of unsalted melted butter, 1 cup of granulated sugar, and 2 large eggs until well combined. Stir in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1 cup of milk until the mixture is smooth.

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until just combined. Be careful not to overmix as this can result in dense muffins. Fold in 1 and 1/2 cups of chocolate chips, ensuring they are evenly distributed throughout the batter.

Step 3: Fill Muffin Pan

Spoon the batter to each muffin cup about 3/4 full with the batter. If desired, sprinkle a few additional chocolate chips on top for an extra touch.

Step 4: Bake The Muffins

Bake the muffins for approximately 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. You can also tell that the muffins are done when there is a golden brown color on top. Also, look out for the round top and firm edges of the muffins.

Once baked, remove the muffins from the oven and allow them to cool in the tin for a few minutes.

The next step in the process is serving your freshly baked muffins. You can either serve them warm with a cup of coffee or let them cool completely.

If you're having muffins for breakfast, the first option is better, however, if you're serving muffins for dessert, you add some extra fanfare. Most muffins are served with vanilla ice cream or toppings like butter, jam, honey, or cream cheese.

Finally, dig into your freshly made bakery-style chocolate chip muffins!