Triple Chocolate Muffins

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Triple Chocolate Muffins - Rich chocolate muffins, generously studded with melty chocolate chunks and filled with creamy chocolate ganache!

Triple chocolate muffins on a wire rack.

These Triple Chocolate Muffins are inspired by the viral Olympic Village Chocolate Muffins! Have you seen them online? They've swept the internet by storm, so I decided to make my own version. After batches and batches of testing, I couldn't be more happy with how they turned out!

If you're looking for more easy muffin recipes, be sure to check out my delicious Banana Espresso Muffins and Blueberry Chocolate Chip Muffins!

Triple chocolate muffins on serving tray.

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Why You Will Love These Chocolate Muffins
Ingredient Notes
Step-By-Step Instructions
Substitutions & Variations
Equipment
Storage
Helpful Tips
FAQ
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📖 Recipe

Why You Will Love These Chocolate Muffins

Super easy to make. You mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl and all the wet ingredients in another bowl and then combine everything together. That’s really it!
Not too sweet. The muffin is not too sweet, so you can even use milk chocolate chunks or chips in the batter.
So light and moist. A combination of oil, full-fat sour cream and buttermilk yields a moist and soft crumb.
Ultimate chocolate lovers treat. Rich chocolate batter with chocolate chunks and an irresistible chocolate ganache center.

Ingredient Notes

Here are some notes about all the ingredients used for these Triple Chocolate Chip Muffins. Quantities and full instructions are in the recipe card below!

Ingredients for Chocolate Muffins which include, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, espresso powder, eggs, sugars, butter, oil, buttermilk, sour cream, vanilla and chocolate chunks.

Double Chocolate Muffins

Flour - We are keeping it simple with all-purpose flour
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder - I'm using Dutch-process for deeper chocolate flavor.
Leveners - We are using a combination of baking powder and baking soda for the perfect rise and texture.
Fine Espresso Powder - Brings out the chocolate flavor.
Salt - Rounds out the flavors.
White Sugar - Adds a bit of sweetness and adds moisture.
Neutral Oil + Melted Butter - The oil keep the muffins light and moist and the butter adds flavor.
Full-Fat Sour Cream + Buttermilk - Adds structure, moisture and lightens the muffin.
Whole Eggs - Adds structure.
Vanilla Paste or Extract - For flavor.
Chocolate Chunks - You can use any kind of chocolate because the muffins aren't too sweet. I'm using milk chocolate chunks.

Chocolate Ganache

Chocolate Bar - I recommend sticking to a good quality chocolate bar for best results. Chocolate chips contain soy lecithin to help them retain their shape so they may not melt as smoothly.
Heavy Cream - Creates a velvety and rich ganache.

*See recipe card for quantities.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Here are step-by-step photos and instructions on how to make these Chocolate Muffins! Please find detailed instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.

Dry ingredients are added to a large mixing bowl which include, flour, cocoa powder, white sugar, baking powder, baking soda, espresso powder and salt.

Step 1. In a large mixing bowl, sift together all-purpose flour, white sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, espresso powder and salt.

Oil, melted butter, milk, sour cream, eggs and vanilla are in a mixing bowl.

Step 2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together oil, melted butter, eggs, sour cream, buttermilk and vanilla until well combined.

Wet ingredients are poured into the dry ingredients.

Step 3. Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until there are very few flour steaks left. Do not overmix. Batter will be thick.

Chocolate chunks are added to the batter.

Step 4. Then, gently fold in the chocolate chunks or chocolate chips. Cover with a tea towel and allow the batter to rest on the counter for at least 45 minutes.

Chocolate muffin batter is filled in every other well.

Step 5. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with muffin liners or paper liners, alternating every other well. Scoop and fill each liner with batter, making sure to fill to the very top. Sprinkle extra chocolate chips or chunks on top. I ran out of chunks and topped with mini chocolate chips instead!😊

Step 6. Bake at 425ºF (218ºC) for 5 minutes and then lower to 350ºF (176ºC) (without opening the oven door) and continue to bake for 14 to 16 minutes.

Tip! For tall bakery style muffins, bake muffins in every other well. This allows more heat to circulate the muffins to help them rise taller as they bake.

Hot cream is poured over finely chopped chocolate.

Step 7. Make Chocolate Ganache - Add finely chopped chocolate to a heatproof bowl. Pour hot cream over chocolate and let stand, untouched for 3 minutes.

Step 8. Stir slowly until combined. Transfer to a piping bag, ziploc bag or squeeze bottle.

A piping tip carves out a hole in the center of each muffin.

Step 10. With a knife or piping tip, scoop out a deep hole in the center of each muffin.

Chocolate ganache is piped into the center of each muffin.

Step 11. Pipe chocolate ganache in the center of each muffin. Serve and enjoy!

Substitutions & Variations

For the Buttermilk - If you do not have any, you can substitute by mixing ½ cup of whole milk with 1 teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice. Allow to curdle for 10 minutes before using. You can also just use plain whole milk if you’re in a pinch.
For the Sour Cream - You can use full-fat Greek yogurt.
For the Chocolate Chunks – I used semi-sweet chocolate chunks, but feel free to use any kind of chocolate chunks or chocolate chips.
For the Fine Espresso Powder – Highly recommended, but you can omit completely if don’t have any in your pantry.
For the Chocolate Ganache - For a variation, you can fill these muffins with Nutella, cookie butter, peanut butter, pistachio butter or eat them plain!
For a Gluten-Free Option – Although I have not tried this, you could use a 1-to-1 cup gluten-free flour blend.

Equipment

12 Cup Muffin Pan – I love using this muffin pan by USA Pan (not an affiliate link)!
Digital Kitchen Scale – This is the exact scale I use. It’s so reliable! (not an affiliate link)

Storage

Room Temperature – Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Refrigerator – Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge.
Freezer – Cool muffins completely, then wrap each muffin in plastic wrap and store in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and bring to room temperature before enjoying!

A close up of triple chocolate muffins on serving tray.

Helpful Tips

Use a kitchen scale to weigh all your ingredients. Baking in grams is the best and most accurate way to bake!

If you are not using a kitchen scale, measure your flour correctly. Fluff and aerate your flour first, then spoon into your measuring cup and finally level off with the back of a butter knife. Do not pack it in as it will add too much flour.

Use room temperature ingredients to ensure a smooth batter. This includes the milk, sour cream and eggs.

Do not overmix the batter. Overmixing will activate the gluten in the flour and can make your muffins tough.

Fill your muffin tin to the top. For tall muffins tops, you’ll want to fill the liners all the way full.

FAQ

Do I have to bake in every other well?

If you'd like tall domed muffins, I do recommend baking in every other well.
However, if you would like to bake all 12 muffins at the same time, fill them ¾ of the way full. Your baking time will should be reduce by a few minutes.

Why do these muffins bake at two different temperatures?

Baking at an initial high temperature promotes the muffins to rise rapidly, creating tall, domed muffins. We then lower the temperature to finish cooking them. I use this same technique to bake my Chocolate Madeleines!

Do I have to fill these muffins?

You do not! These muffins are delicious on it's own!

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