These are hearty muffins with texture from the oatmeal and full of chocolate chips. They are slightly sweet, will rise and bake to a golden brown top, and can be frozen for a month. They double as breakfast muffins and afternoon snacks.
We are fans of recipes with oatmeal in general here.
This chocolate chip muffin version is a twist on our beloved moist oatmeal muffins recipe, which reminds me of my great-grandmother's scones.
I love how versatile and hearty they are in the morning, toasted with some honey in my case. Or freshly baked out of the oven as a mid-morning snack. They never disappoint.
I used butter instead of oil for a richer flavor that pairs pretty amazingly with semisweet chocolate. We also used white and brown sugars for that sweet and caramel flavor we love in cookies.
This oatmeal chocolate chip muffin recipe is our latest addition to the muffin archives, together with these moist zucchini carrot muffins.
Ingredient list
They are so simple that you probably have all of them at home right now.
- Buttermilk: use fresh or buy buttermilk powder and prepare it as you need to. Or make homemade buttermilk (it's VERY easy, see Notes in the recipe card for details).
- Oats: I use old-fashioned rolled oats (traditional oats) because they have more texture, but you can use instant or quick-cooking oats.
- Unsalted butter.
- White granulated sugar.
- Light brown sugar.
- Egg: fresh, large.
- All-purpose flour.
- Salt.
- Baking powder and baking soda: make sure they're active.
- Vanilla extract.
See the recipe card towards the end of this post for quantities. You can check the Ingredients page for more details and the brands we use.
How to make oatmeal choc chip muffins
This homemade muffin recipe is very easy to make. It's a one-bowl recipe that starts with a large bowl where you add ingredients in the order given.
- Wet ingredients: include the egg, melted butter and vanilla, and they're incorporated first with a whisk or spatula; there's no need for an electric mixer.
- Dry ingredients: include the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sugars. They're added to the oat mixture together with the chocolate chips.
Make the oatmeal. First we combine oats with buttermilk and let it stand for a few minutes (while preparing the rest of the ingredients in my case). This will allow the buttermilk to moisten and soften the oats.
Mixing the batter. This should be done lightly and with a spatula. It's important not to overmix or beat it if you want soft, fluffy muffins.
Muffin pan & baking
Divide the muffin batter as evenly as possible so that the muffins bake better. There are two ways to fill the muffin pans:
- Use paper liners: also called muffin cups or cupcake liners, they are great for serving and transporting muffins because they act as their own container. This will create a softer muffin, except for the crusty top. They also make cleaning up easier as you don't have to grease the muffin tin.
- Grease the pan with butter or baking spray so that the muffins don't stick and are easy to remove. This will give the muffins a larger crust surface as the batter contacts the bottom and sides of the metal pan. But you'll have more washing up to do after.
Troubleshooting common issues
- Overmixing the batter can cause the muffins to become tough and dense. Combine the ingredients; don't beat or overmix.
- Using cold ingredients: they can cause the batter to not mix well and be lumpy. Using ingredients at room temperature is important unless otherwise specified in the recipe.
- Not greasing the muffin tin properly can cause the muffins to stick to the pan and be difficult to remove. If not using paper liners, use baking spray or soft butter.
- Overbaking the muffins can cause them to become dry and hard. Check the muffins a few minutes before the end of the suggested baking time with a cake tester or toothpick, and remove them from the oven as soon as they are cooked through.
Kitchen Notes
- Organization: Read the recipe first and ensure you have the ingredients at the correct temperature, the equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Baking time: Consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as possible, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Pans: you can butter a muffin tin instead of using paper liners (muffin cups as they're also called). In that case, these chocolate chip oatmeal muffins will have more crust as the bottom and sides touch the metal muffin pan while baking.
- Chocolate chips: if you want a sweeter muffin, add half milk chocolate chips instead of semisweet. Mini chocolate chips can also be used.
- Flavorings: you can add other flavors with the vanilla, such as ground cinnamon, orange zest and a few drops of almond extract.
- Milk: Buttermilk gives these easy muffins a soft texture, but you can also make them with regular or almond milk.
- Oil: you can substitute oil for the melted butter, same volume. I have made them with sunflower, coconut oil, and even light olive oil with very good results.
- Storing: they keep well at room temperature for 2-3 days, always covered or in an airtight container. After that, I like to freeze them, always well wrapped.
Serving
- Freshly baked: this will always be my favorite way of eating these muffins. I take them out of the oven and let them cool down until warm and then bite into the fluffy crumb. So good!
- At room temperature: they have a window of several hours when they can be eaten plain. For me, that means about 3-4 hours after they're baked.
- Warmed: you can also warm them a little in the oven (medium heat, 350°F/180°C), without letting the toast. Great for muffins that are a day old or have been kept in the refrigerator.
- Toasted: this is my second choice and it's the way we eat them after they have been refrigerated or frozen. We toast them in half and sometimes eat them with a drizzle of honey or maple syrup.
Related recipes you might like:
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Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins
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Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups traditional or old fashioned oats
- 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature (see Notes below for substitutions)
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose or cake flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- ¼ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Mix buttermilk with oats in a large bowl and leave to hydrate while preparing the rest.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180ºC).
- Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Or grease them with butter or baking spray. Reserve.
- Add the melted butter and egg to the oatmeal mixture. Mix everything well without beating.
- Add both sugars and mix lightly.
- Add the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and chocolate chips.
- Mix with a spatula until the ingredients are incorporated but don't overmix or beat. This is important for soft and tender muffins.
- Fill the muffin tins or paper cups ¾ full, dividing the mixture as evenly as possible. It's a thick batter, so the tops will be uneven.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out dry.
- Cool muffins completely on a metal rack.
- Store in airtight containers or wrapped in plastic for 2 days at room temperature. Refrigerate or freeze after that, well wrapped. I recommend warming them before eating.
Allison says
Very good!
angiesrecipes says
These muffins sound and look terrific with simple everyday pantry ingredients.