These Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Muffins are light, fluffy, and dotted with mini chocolate chips. They're perfect for a sweet breakfast, brunch, or afternoon snack and they're ready to eat in under an hour!
Why you'll love this recipe
- These chocolate chip muffins are light and fluffy with just the right amount of sweetness.
- Use mini chocolate chips or regular chocolate chips - whatever you have on hand! Mini chips disperse more evenly throughout the muffin, but are not a necessity!
- This easy recipe comes together with about 15 minutes of hands-on time. You'll have warm, fresh muffins on the table in about 45 minutes!
- This recipe uses sourdough discard, but you can easily modify to use active sourdough starter if you prefer.
- Muffins freeze well! You can make a batch and freeze some for later! Try these Chocolate Sourdough Zucchini Muffins and Sourdough Discard Banana Muffins, too!
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Ingredients
There are only a few key ingredients you'll need to bring these muffins together.
- Sourdough discard: The sourdough discard should be unfed and at room temperature for this recipe. This recipe is designed for a sourdough starter with a 1:1 ratio (when you feed your starter, it's with 1 part flour and 1 part water). If your starter uses a different ratio, you may need to adjust some of the ingredients in this recipe.
- Learn more about how to make a sourdough starter.
- Mini chocolate chips: Using mini chocolate chips helps them disperse more evenly throughout the muffin, but you could also use regular chocolate chips!
See full recipe below for detailed directions.
Substitutions & Variations
This is a very adaptable recipe and below are a few easy substitutions and variations you can try.
- Use active sourdough starter - If you'd like to make this recipe with active sourdough starter, you can! To do so, omit the yeast and replace the sourdough discard with active starter (200g). You do not need to change any other ingredients in the recipe.
- Use regular chocolate chips - Mini chocolate chips disperse more evenly throughout the muffin, but you can also use regular chocolate chips! Try these muffins with dark chocolate or white chocolate, too!
- In a chocolate mood? Try these Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars and these Sourdough Chocolate Espresso Cookies, too.
- Use a different mix-in - This is a very versatile recipe, and you could easily swap out the mini chocolate chips for mini m&ms, chunks of your favorite chocolate candy, or even sprinkles for more of a funfetti version!
- Add nuts - Reduce the chocolate chips to ½ cup and add ½ cup of chopped nuts of your choice (walnuts, almonds, or pecans would work well!).
How to Make Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Muffins
There are only a few key steps to bring this recipe together. The full recipe with detailed directions is at the bottom of this post.
- Step 1: Mix together the dry ingredients (minus the sugar).
- Step 2: Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Step 3: Add the remaining wet ingredients and mix until smooth.
- Step 4: Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, then fold in the chocolate chips.
- Step 5: Use a cookie scoop or a spoon to fill the muffin cups about ⅔ full with batter. Sprinkle with additional chocolate chips (optional) and turbinado sugar.
- Step 6: Bake until golden. Let cool in the pan for a few minutes, then serve or transfer to a cooling rack to cool fully.
Expert Baking Tips
- Use metric measurements for at least the flour and sourdough discard. These are two ingredients where there can be a huge variation in using cups vs. metric measurements. Using a kitchen scale for metric measurements for at least these two ingredients will set you on the right path!
- Use muffin liners to keep the muffins from sticking to the pan. Personally, I like to use parchment paper muffin liners - you get a bigger muffin!
- Using room temperature ingredients for this recipe helps ensure that the muffins will rise appropriately.
- If the muffins are sticking to your liners after baking, let them cool for a few minutes! The muffins won't stick when cooled.
- Looking for more sourdough discard breakfast recipes? Try these Sourdough Discard Blueberry Muffins and these Sourdough Lemon Blueberry Scones.
Storage
Room Temperature Storage: Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can reheat them in the microwave for 15-30 seconds to make them warm and soft again.
Freezer Storage: These muffins freeze very well. Let them cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, let the muffins thaw at room temperature, or reheat in the microwave for 30-60 seconds.
Recipe FAQs
They're accurate! I use the metric measurements for my own baking, especially with the flour and sourdough discard, so I recommend you do the same! There can be such a huge variation in cups measurements, particularly for those two ingredients.
No, you could use regular chocolate chips! The mini chips disperse more evenly throughout the muffin.
Definitely! Add some chopped nuts of your choice, or try a different sweet mix-in like mini m&ms, chopped chocolate candy of your choice, or even sprinkles (for more of a funfetti vibe).
More Sourdough Discard Muffin Recipes
If you tried these Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Muffins or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I'd love to hear from you! Happy Baking!
Sourdough Discard Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 200 grams (about ¾ cup) sourdough discard unfed, at room temperature
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 Tablespoons plain or vanilla yogurt non-dairy or regular dairy
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips plus more for topping (optional)
- 2-3 teaspoons turbinado sugar for topping, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200℃) and line a 12-cup muffin pan with muffin liners*. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, use a hand-held blender on medium speed to cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the sourdough discard, eggs, vegetable oil, yogurt, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth and combined. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until almost no dry spots remain. Fold the chocolate chips into the batter, mixing until just combined.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin liners, filling each cup about ⅔ full (a cookie scoop works well for this!). Depending on the size of your muffin cups, you might find that you have enough batter for an extra muffin.
- Sprinkle with additional chocolate chips (optional) and turbinado sugar. Bake for 24-26 minutes until golden brown. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool fully.
Jessica Vogl says
Light and fluffy, and perfect for a sweet brunch or an afternoon treat!