Chocolate Sourdough Muffins
Rich, moist chocolate sourdough muffins made in one bowl with cocoa, sourdough discard, and chocolate chips. Easy to make, freezer-friendly, and full of flavor.
Servings: 12 servings
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups brown sugar packed; 266 grams
- ¾ cup sourdough discard 170g, 100% hydration
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup milk 113 grams
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil 66 grams
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour 210 grams
- ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder Dutch processed; 57 grams
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon instant espresso powder optional
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups milk chocolate chips 220 grams, or chopped chocolate
- coarse sugar for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners and lightly spray the liners with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, sourdough discard, eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla.
- Place a sifter over the bowl and add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, espresso powder (if using), and salt.
- Gently fold everything together until well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Don’t overmix, just make sure there are no dry pockets of flour.
- Divide the batter between the muffin cups. They'll be pretty full, which helps give you that domed top. Sprinkle with coarse sugar if you’d like.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a rack to cool another 10–15 minutes.
Notes
Espresso powder: You can skip it, but even a small pinch boosts the chocolate flavor.
Use Dutch-process cocoa: It gives the richest color and taste.
Weigh your ingredients: Especially flour, discard, and cocoa, to keep the texture light and moist.
Optional rest time: Let the batter sit 20–30 minutes before baking for taller muffins.
Longer fermentation: You can refrigerate the batter for 3 to 4 hours before baking. It holds up well and still gives great rise.
Freezer-friendly: Cool completely, then store in a zip-top bag for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temp or warm briefly in the microwave.
Molten muffin option: This recipe was adapted from our molten chocolate muffins, and you can use the fudge filling technique from that recipe if you want a gooey center.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 363kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 294mg | Potassium: 216mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 56IU | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 2mg
