Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Sourdough Muffins

These chocolate chip sourdough muffins have been in regular rotation at my house for years. They’re everything a good muffin should be: soft inside, crisp on top, and packed with chocolate chips. If you bake with sourdough often, you’ll love having an easy go-to discard recipe that actually feels like a treat. Let’s make them together.

WhatYou’ll Need

All pantry ingredients. Yay!

• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil or melted butter
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons milk
• ½ cup sourdough starter (discard or active, avoid very sour discard)
• 1 cup chocolate chips (semi-sweet preferred)
• sparkling sugar for topping (optional, adds crunch)

How to Make Sourdough Chocolate Chip Muffins

Preheat your oven to 400°F with a rack in the center. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. It is easier to have everything ready before you mix the batter.

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Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make sure everything is well combined and there are no lumps of baking powder or salt hiding in the flour.

To be honest, sometimes I skip this step and just dump the dry ingredients right on top of the wet. It’s up to you and how many bowls you feel like dealing with!

Step 2: Mix the wet ingredients

In a separate bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, egg, milk, and sourdough starter until smooth. The mixture should look creamy and slightly thick.

You can use an electric mixer for this step if you want, but you definitely don’t have to.

Step 3: Combine the wet and dry

Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir gently with a wooden spoon or spatula until just combined. The batter will be thick and slightly lumpy.

Be careful not to overmix or the muffins will be tough.

Step 4: Fold in the chocolate chips

Add the chocolate chips and gently fold them into the batter.

Stir just until they are evenly distributed without overworking the mixture.

Step 5: Fill and bake

Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Scoop the batter into the liners, filling each one about two-thirds full. For a crunchy, bakery-style top, sprinkle each muffin with sparkling sugar.

Bake the muffins at 400°F for 18 to 23 minutes. They are done when the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Serving + Storage Ideas

To complete your family breakfast, serve with a cast iron skillet omelet and a fruit salad.

More Sourdough Discard Muffins

Sourdough starter and muffins are a match made in heaven. Get in the habit of feeding your starter every morning and baking a discard recipe. You can cut all snack foods and cereal out of your budget entirely.

• In fall, we love these apple cinnamon sourdough muffins.
• Strawberry sourdough muffins are perfect for spring
• Blueberry sourdough muffins are a reader favorite and have the best crumb topping.
• But these lemon muffins are probably my favorite sourdough discard recipe of all.

Printable Recipe

Chocolate Chip Sourdough Muffins

A simple and delicious muffin recipe using sourdough discard. Moist, chocolate-filled, and topped with a crunchy sugar finish. Perfect for breakfast or snacks.

Print Recipe

Prep Time:20 minutes mins

Cook Time:25 minutes mins

Total Time:45 minutes mins

1x2x3x

Equipment

• Muffin tin

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil or melted butter
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons milk
• ½ cup sourdough starter discard or active, avoid very sour discard
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• sparkling sugar for topping optional, adds crunch

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Instructions

• Prep. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
• Dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
• Wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, egg, milk, and sourdough starter until smooth.
• Combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir gently with a wooden spoon or spatula until just combined. The batter will be thick and slightly lumpy.
• Add chocolate chips. Fold in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
• Fill tins. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup about two-thirds full. Sprinkle the tops with sparkling sugar if using.
• Bake. Bake for 18 to 23 minutes, until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
• Cool. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Video

Notes

Muffins stay fresh at room temperature for 2 days or can be frozen for up to 1 month.
If you do not have sparkling sugar, regular granulated sugar can be used for topping.
Do not overmix the batter or the muffins will be dense.

Nutrition

Calories: 241kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 175mg | Potassium: 68mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 26IU | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 1mg

Servings: 12 muffins

Calories: 241kcal

Author: Katie Shaw