Sourdough Chocolate Chip Muffins {Active Starter or Discard}
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You know those bakery muffins that look perfect but taste… meh? These homemade sourdough chocolate chip muffins aren’t like that. They’re rich, chocolatey, and so soft and moist you’ll be looking for all sorts of excuses to make them again!
The best part is, just like my Sourdough Blueberry Muffins, you can whip up the batter and bake it right away or let it chill out in the fridge overnight for a deeper, tangier flavor. They freeze really well, too, which means muffin time can be any time!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
Lots of people love these sourdough chocolate chip muffins, and I think it’s because:
Better than bakery-style muffins:
Grab this homemade muffin recipe and your taste buds won’t have to endure those overpriced, not-so-great coffee shop ones anymore. Quit buying those every morning along with restaurant coffee for a while, and you’ll soon save enough to buy a good oven for making better, homemade ones.
Quick or long-fermented recipe:
If you’re in a hurry, mix and bake the same day for warm, chocolate-studded muffins in under an hour. And if you have a little more time or just love that deeper sourdough tang, let the muffin batter rest overnight in the fridge. Then wake up the next morning and turn your kitchen into a little muffin heaven.
Bursting with chocolate chips:
Some coffee shop muffins give you three chocolate chips if you’re lucky. Not these. Every bite is loaded with a mix of regular and mini chocolate chips, so you get melty pockets and tiny bursts of sweetness all the way through. Use milk chocolate chips or swap them for semi-sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips. Add in whatever you love most, and don’t forget to sprinkle a few extra on top before baking.
If you end up loving these sourdough discard muffins, you’ll also love these double chocolate sourdough muffins, these sourdough blueberry muffins, and these sourdough pumpkin chocolate chip muffins.
Ingredients & Substitutions
* To find precise measurements, scroll to the bottom of this post to find the recipe card*
- Flour: I used all-purpose flour for this recipe.
- Sugar: The combo of white and brown sugar makes for a slightly denser muffin, but it’s so incredibly moist with a slight caramel-like flavor.
- Sourdough Discard: For sweeter recipes like these sourdough muffins, I prefer to use 1-2 day old sourdough discard. You can use an active sourdough starter; be sure to use the same amount in grams.
- Sour Cream: Keeps the muffins tender and super moist. You can substitute sour cream with Greek yogurt.
- Unsalted Butter: I tested this recipe with 75g (⅓ cup) of avocado oil vs 113 grams (½ cup) of butter and I loved the flavor and texture of the muffins made with butter better. They were more tender, less gummy, and stayed just as moist. If using salted butter, reduce the salt by 1 gram (¼ teaspoon).
- Chocolate Chips: I love using a combination of regular and mini chocolate chips for different bites of chocolatey sweetness, but you can use one or the other. You can also swap milk chocolate chips for semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips.
How to Make Sourdough Chocolate Chip Muffins
- First, preheat the oven to 425°F, then grease a 12-well muffin pan. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together these dry ingredients until combined: flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk together the sugars, melted butter, eggs, sour cream, sourdough discard, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture and mix until there are just a few streaks of flour left. Add in the chocolate chips and fold them into the thick batter. Leave the batter to rest for 15 minutes.
Long Fermentation Tip
To long ferment this muffin batter, cover and place in the fridge to cold-ferment overnight, then bake as normal the following morning.
- Once the batter has rested, scoop about 100 grams (5 Tablespoons) into each muffin well. The muffin tins will be full. Top with more mini chocolate chips and coarse sugar, if desired.
- Bake for 7 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350°F and continue to bake for 13-15 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick placed in the center comes out clean.
- Keep the muffins in the muffin tin for 5 minutes before removing to cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!
How to Store:
Room Temperature: Store leftover muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can keep them in the fridge for up to a week, but they may dry out slightly, so warming them before eating helps.
Freezing: Wrap each muffin tightly in plastic wrap or foil, then place them in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Thawing & Reheating: Thaw muffins at room temperature or in the microwave. To reheat, wrap a muffin in a damp paper towel and microwave for 15 to 20 seconds to keep it moist. You can also heat them in a 350°F oven wrapped in foil for about 10 minutes. Adding a little butter or jam to a warm muffin makes it even better.
FAQs
Yes, you can! While I have not tested white chocolate chips in this exact recipe, they are a popular swap. Because white chocolate is sweeter and creamier than dark or semi-sweet, you might want to reduce some of the sugar or mix white with darker chips to balance the sweetness.
This sweet recipe calls for sourdough discard, but you can definitely use an active starter without any problems. Be sure to use the same amount by weight, not volume, and that’s very important.
No, you don’t have to. Vanilla extract adds a nice, rich flavor that complements the chocolate and sourdough, but the muffins will still be delicious without it. They just won’t be quite as flavorful.
Sourdough Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe
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Equipment
- muffin liners
Ingredients
- 200 grams all-purpose flour 1 1/4 cups + 1 Tablespoon
- 150 grams sugar 3/4 cup
- 50 grams light brown sugar 1/4 cup
- 8 grams baking powder 2 teaspoons
- 3 grams salt 1/2 teaspoon
- 113 grams unsalted butter, melted 1/2 cup
- 120 grams sour cream, room temperature 1/2 cup
- 110 grams eggs 2 large
- 120 grams sourdough discard, room temperature 1/2 cup
- 8 grams vanilla extract 2 teaspoons
- 175 grams chocolate chips
- coarse sugar if desired
Instructions
- First, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, then grease a 12-well muffin pan. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt until combined. Set aside.200 grams all-purpose flour, 8 grams baking powder, 3 grams salt
- In another bowl, whisk together the sugars, melted butter, sour cream, eggs, sourdough discard, and vanilla extract until smooth.150 grams sugar, 50 grams light brown sugar, 113 grams unsalted butter, melted, 120 grams sour cream, room temperature, 110 grams eggs, 120 grams sourdough discard, room temperature, 8 grams vanilla extract
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture and mix until there are just a few streaks of flour left. With a rubber spatula, fold the chocolate chips into the thick muffin batter. Leave the batter to rest for 15 minutes.I added 100 grams of chocolate chips and 75 grams of mini chocolate chips.175 grams chocolate chips
- Long Ferment: To long ferment this muffin batter, cover and place in the fridge to cold-ferment overnight, then bake as normal the following morning.
- Once the batter has rested, scoop about 88 grams (5 Tablespoons) into each muffin liner. The muffin tins will be full. This creates the most perfect muffin tops. Top each with more mini chocolate chips and coarse sugar, if desired.coarse sugar
- Bake for 7 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F and continue to bake for 14-16 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick placed in the center comes out clean.
- Keep the muffins in the muffin tin for 5 minutes before removing to cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!
Notes
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Flour: I used all-purpose flour for this recipe.
- Sugar: The combo of white and brown sugar makes for a slightly denser muffin, but it’s so incredibly moist with a slight caramel-like flavor.
- Sourdough Discard: For sweeter recipes like these sourdough muffins, I prefer to use 1-2 day old sourdough discard. You can use an active sourdough starter; be sure to use the same amount in grams.
- Sour Cream: Keeps the muffins tender and super moist. You can substitute sour cream with Greek yogurt.
- Unsalted Butter: I tested this recipe with 75g (⅓ cup) of avocado oil vs 113 grams (½ cup) of butter and I loved the flavor and texture of the muffins made with butter better. They were more tender, less gummy, and stayed just as moist. If using salted butter, reduce the salt by 1 gram (¼ teaspoon).
- Chocolate Chips: I love using a combination of regular and mini chocolate chips for different bites of chocolatey sweetness, but you can use one or the other. You can also swap milk chocolate chips for semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips.
- For a bit of warmth to the batter, you can also add 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
- To get the best muffins tops, it’s important to bake the muffin batter at a high heat, then lower the temperature.
Love how tender and chocolatey these muffins are. Plus they stay moist for days!
Just made these (for the second time) and they are AMAZING! By far my favorite muffin recipe. They’re moist, light, and perfectly sweet. This time, I substituted regular plain yogurt for the sour cream and used a mix of mini and regular chocolate chips and some of a chopped up chocolate bar. If you’re reading this and thinking about making these muffins, DO IT!!
My heart! Thank you so much for this sweet comment, Molly. But I couldn’t agree more, they truly are so delicious!
Hi! Do I need to bulk ferment? Can I just bake? Thank you !
Great question! You do not! This is a quick sourdough discard recipe, but you can long-ferment if you’d like. Hope you love it!