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Craving a coffee shop muffin at home? These chocolate chip coffee cake muffins bake up tall and moist with a cinnamon streusel on top. The melty chocolate chips in every bite are a sweet bonus. These muffins call for easy ingredients you probably already have in your pantry! Cozy, simple, and perfect for a make-ahead breakfast or sweet afternoon pick-me-up.
Ingredient Notes
- Butter/ oil: room temp butter creams lighter; oil yields extra moisture
- Sugar: light brown adds caramel notes that play nicely with cinnamon.
- Sour Cream/ Greek Yogurt: keeps the muffin moist
- Flour: measure by weight or fluff-spoon-level to avoid dense muffins.
- Chocolate: mini chips distribute evenly; chunks make gooey pockets.
- Streusel: mix so that it forms clumps, consider chilling in the fridge before sprinkling on the muffin mix
Tieghan’s Technique Tips
Mixing: Cream fat and sugar well; once dry ingredients go in, mix just until combined to avoid toughness. Don’t over mix!
Fill level: For bakery-style height, fill the muffin cup or muffin liner to the brim
Layering: Better, then streusel, then more batter, then with remaining streusel
Doneness: Muffin tops spring back to a gentle touch; test with a toothpick or fork to see if it’s clean once, streusel should look golden and set
The story behind my bakery-style muffins
It’s been pretty snowy, dreary, and grey here this week and the cozy weather has been my inspiration for these extra cozy (and extra delicious) muffins. I’ve also recently been interested in sharing more chocolate recipes.
As you can probably guess, I really do not get out to bakeries often. In fact, I think the last time I stepped foot in one was way back in the fall when I was in NYC. (I’m heading to NYC again in a couple of months and would love to know your favorite bakeries so I can check them out!)
People always ask me where my favorite places to eat at are. It’s so hard for me to answer because I prefer to cook rather than to go out. For one, I’m a total homebody, so if I have the choice to go out or stay in and cook, I am one hundred percent staying in. Two, cooking is just what I love and what I do, so I only ever go out to eat when I am traveling. Point is, I don’t have a lot of favorites when it comes to eating out, but I do love a good New York style bakery muffin. I can enjoy blueberry, but what I really love is a bakery muffin loaded with chocolate chips and topped with a crumbly, buttery topping.
SO GOOD.
Since I live very far from NYC, I decided I needed to make some bakery style muffins at home. Not going to lie, it was the best idea I had all week. And that’s the truth. These muffins are that good.
Just like most muffins recipes, these start with the basics: flour, baking powder, salt and eggs. To make my muffins stand out, I like to use plain greek yogurt and a combo of both maple syrup and brown sugar. These ingredients not only add incredible flavor, but incredible moisture too.
I decided to make these an all butter muffin. This not only enhances the flavor immensely, but the texture is extra flaky, light and airy.
But what’s the real secret to these muffins?
Cinnamon streusel and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Yum, yes, and YUM. I mean, with those two things in one recipe?! You know they’re going to be good.
I took some notes from traditional coffee cakes and added a ripple of sweet cinnamon streusel to my chocolate chip muffins. You wouldn’t think something so simple could make such a difference, but trust me, it does.
The streusel adds a layer of sweet buttery flavor to the middle of each muffin that’s the most delicious thing to taste, bite after bite. Especially when the streusel is paired with chocolate chips.
Again, so good.
Each and every bite is “roll your eyes back good”. If you’re looking for a Tuesday treat, these muffins need to be it. If you don’t have time in your day, save these for Saturday or Sunday morning brunch. But be sure to double the recipe. That way you can have extras on hand for snacking on throughout the week. Trust me, you’ll be so happy for the leftovers come Monday afternoon.
Also? These are great warm or at room temperature, but please, have at least one warm, right out of the oven. It’s truly just the best thing ever.
A side of coffee would be great too…
And that’s my Tuesday night plan. Well, minus the coffee and + a nice cold glass of goat milk.
Do coffee cake muffins have coffee in them?
Usually, no. “Coffee cake” typically means a cinnamon streusel style that’s perfect when paired with coffee.
How do I get tall, bakery style domes when baking these muffins?
Start with a fully pre-heated oven. Fill the paper muffin cups generously according to the recipe and avoid over mixing so the batter lifts well.
Can I make these without sour cream or Greek yogurt?
If your recipe uses it, swap a similar thick dairy (like full-fat yogurt) for comparable moisture.
How do I keep the streusel from melting into the batter?
Use cool, clumpy streusel and sprinkle it on right before baking; chilling it briefly helps it hold definition.
Looking for more muffin recipes to try? Check these out:
- Blueberry Swirl Coffee Cake Muffins
- Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Bakery Blueberry Vanilla Crunch Muffins
- The Essentials : Everything you need to consider for baking!
Lastly, if you make these coffee cake muffins, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. If you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Better Than the Bakery Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake Muffins
Servings: 16 muffins
Calories Per Serving: 291 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Streusel
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
Muffins
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1/2 cup real maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 12-16 muffin tins with paper liners. 2. To make the streusel: In a small bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Mix together with your hands until you have a crumbly mixture. Set aside.3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the butter, maple syrup, vanilla, buttermilk, greek yogurt, and eggs until smooth. Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt, mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. 4. Divide half the batter among the prepared pan. Evenly sprinkle about 1/3 of the streusel over the batter. Add the remaining batter and then top evenly with the remaining streusel. Place the muffins on a baking pan and transfer to the oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Breakfast? Dessert? Both? YESS!
This post was originally published on April 10, 2018
what can i substitute for the buttermilk? These muffins look delicious!
Hey Emilie,
You can use whole milk in place of the buttermilk. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
Well these were good! I made half with the topping and half without to please my picky kids. It made 22 muffins with the yellow scoop. The ones with no topping took 14 min to bake and the ones with topping took around 16 min. The only change I made was to use canola oil instead of butter in the batter.
Hey there,
Happy Sunday! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
hey! so i’m planning on baking these later and would i use non-fat greek yogurt or full-fat greek yogurt? thank you 🙂
Hey Gracie,
I like to use full fat greek yogurt. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Please help! I made these muffins and the taste is amazing but my muffins got super dense – the texture is all wrong. I actually bake quite a bit so I can’t figure out what I did wrong. I could only fat free greek yogurt, would that matter? I really want to make them again and get them right because I know they will be amazing. Thanks – I love all of your recipes.
Hey Angie,
So sorry to hear this! Was there anything you adjusted in the recipe? A different baking method? It’s really hard to say without being there seeing the muffins! Let me know how I can help. xTieghan
This chocolate lover added an extra 1/2 cup of chocolate chips (and NOT minis)! Out of the oven, so divine!
Hey Stacy,
I am thrilled this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! Happy Sunday! xTieghan
Hi, I have been following your blog for a while now and we love your recipes!
These muffins sound delicious, but we really don’t like cinnamon. Is there anything we can replace it with?
Hey Hollie,
I would just skip the cinnamon. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi there!
I love your blog and have made so many great recipes from you!
I made these muffins tonight and they unfortunately stuck to the liners really bad. I wonder if I could’ve maybe used the wrong kind of liners or something? They were on the thicker side.
Hey Allie,
So sorry to hear this, maybe it was the liners? Next time you could try spraying them to ensure the muffins don’t stick. I hope this helps! xTieghan
Can I use sugar instead of maple syrup if it’s not available.
Hey Meera,
Yes, I would use brown sugar. I hope you love the recipe. Let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
The BEST chocolate chip muffins… EVER! and the Blueberry version of this is amazing as well. My 15-year-old son just asked me “when are you making those muffins again?” … so here I go again! ?
Hey Laura,
Thank you so very much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it worked out for you! Happy New Year! xTieghan
I just made these, and the taste is just Chefs kiss* good 100/10! everyone in my household we satisfied.
Amazing! Thank you for trying this one, Selena! xTieghan
Hi I’m planning to make these today, is there a substitution for the maple syrup?
Hi Shanze,
You could use honey in place of the maple syrup. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I made these last night. Holy moly these things are SO good. I followed the recipe exactly. Thank you!
Thank you so much Jessie! That is really great to hear! xTieghan
These muffins are amazing ! Thank you for sharing your wonderful delicious recipes xo
Thank you! I am so glad you loved these! xTieghan
Really good, just too much butter and you should mix the dry and wet ingredients separately
Thank you Jennifer! xTieghan
Is the muffin tin you used for the baking time a standard cupcake size tray, or a large muffin tin that is usually 6 muffins to a tray? Can’t wait to try these, thanks so much!
Hi Christina,
I used a standard sized muffin tin. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan