Brownie Muffins (VIDEO)

Crackly on the top, chewy on the edges, and fudgy in the center, this 7-ingredient Brownie Muffins recipe is a brownie lover's dream! Baked in a large muffin pan, they are full of decadent chocolate, perfectly balanced with a dash of salt, and downright gooey good! These muffins are like big chocolate dessert bombs just waiting to be topped with a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of chocolate!

Jump to:

• 📖 What's the difference between muffins and brownies?
• 🌟 Why this is the best recipe
• 📝 Ingredient notes
• 👩‍🍳 How to make this recipe
• ✨ Flavor variations
• 🎓 Expert tips
• 🥣 Equipment Notes
• ❓Recipe FAQs
• 🍫 More Chocolate recipes
• Brownie Muffins (VIDEO)

📖 What's the difference between muffins and brownies?

So what is the difference between brownies and chocolate muffins? First off, the use of leavening agents. There is almost always no baking powder or baking soda used in brownie recipes. This is why when you bake muffins they rise up to 3 times more than brownies.

The other main difference has to do with the amount of flour and sugar added to the batter. Muffins typically have less sugar in them than brownies but more flour which makes them more like cake. Whereas, brownies tend to have more sugar but less flour which is what makes brownies chewy and fudgy.

I've combined the best aspects of both to create these ultimate gooey brownie muffins with cocoa powder and semi-sweet chocolate! It's more chocolatey than muffins, but no leavening agent, and very little flour like brownies, which make these the most delicious fudgy muffins.

🌟 Why this is the best recipe

1. Extremely easy – Only 7 simple ingredients are needed to make these brownie cupcakes from scratch and it's a very easy process even for the most novice baker.
2. It's quick - The total time to make this brownie cupcake recipe is about an hour. But the batter comes together quickly and the rest of the work is done by your oven.
3. Chocolate gooey good - Inspired by my popular brownie recipe these muffins are the perfect mix of a fudgy decadent brownie and a tasty muffin, loaded with chocolate.
4. It is super versatile – These muffin brownies can be easily customized in a variety of ways by adding spices, nuts, frosting, or glaze, which makes them one of my favorite chocolate recipes.

📝 Ingredient notes

1. Chocolate: For the best fudgy texture and flavor use high-quality semi-sweet chocolate to make these cupcake brownies. Callets work well or you can just chop solid chocolate into chunks.
2. Butter: Always use unsalted butter in baking to control the saltiness of the batter. I prefer using one with an 82% fat content.
3. Eggs: Room-temperature eggs are used to help bind the batter and give the muffins just a bit of rise along with the sugar.
4. Sugars: Granulated white sugar and brown sugar are used to sweeten the chocolate brownie muffins and create their crackly top and fudgy middle. If you're interested in learning more about how to use sugar in baking, check out my sugar guide.
5. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: Cocoa powder is added to make these double chocolate brownie muffins. I recommend using unsweetened Dutch processed 100% cocoa powder.
6. Flour: All-purpose flour works perfectly for this recipe. Check out my flour guide if you'd like to learn more about different types of flour.
7. Salt: A large pinch of salt balances the sweetness.

🛒 You’ll find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post

👩‍🍳 How to make this recipe

1. Step-by-step process

1. Preheat your oven to 175 C / 347 F (no fan) and then line a large 6-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Melt the butter and chocolate by putting them in a glass or stainless steel bowl and setting the bowl over a saucepan filled with a few inches of water simmering over medium heat. Then scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as the chocolate melts to prevent it from burning.
3. In a separate large bowl, use an electric hand mixer to whip the room-temperature eggs together with the sugars for about 5 to 7 minutes until the mixture is pale in color.
4. Pour the melted chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and combine them together using a rubber spatula. Do not use a mixer for this step or the remainder of this brownie cupcakes recipe.
5. Sift the all-purpose flour, salt, and cocoa powder into a large bowl. Now, whisk the dry ingredients together and then fold them into the wet ingredients being careful not to overmix the brownie muffin batter.

💡 Top Tip: Remove the bowl of chocolate from the heat once it's melted. Overheated chocolate can seize up or even burn.

2. How to bake

1. Use a piping bag or large cookie scoop to easily and evenly distribute the batter evenly among the muffin cups
2. Transfer the muffins to the preheated oven and bake them at 175 C / 347 F (no fan) for 25 minutes or until done.
3. When ready, the edges will look baked and the middles will look gooey yet cooked. It's very important not to overbake the muffins. They will continue to set more as they cool.
4. Serve the fudgy brownie cupcakes warm right out of the oven or store them at room temperature for up to 3 days in an airtight container.

Visit my baking guide for information on how to store muffins to keep them fresh.

💡 Top Tip: As a dessert, serve the warm brownie muffins with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.

✨ Flavor variations

If you're wondering, what can I add to brownie batter? Good news! As long as you stick to the ratios of the main ingredients there are lots of ways you customize this amazing chocolate brownie muffins recipe!

1. Biscoff or Nutella - For a tasty surprise that makes the muffins even more gooey similar to my Biscoff Brownies, add a layer of creamy Biscoff spread or Nutella in between 2 layers of batter before baking.
2. Frosting - For a lovely finish, top the chocolate brownie cupcakes with my silky Cream Cheese Frosting, chocolate buttercream, or my divine super chocolatey Namelaka.
3. Glaze - Coffee and chocolate are a match made in mocha heaven! Make this easy coffee glaze used in my Cardamom Cake. Or, make this chocolate glaze I use to top my Baked Chocolate Donuts.
4. Chocolate Chips - Fold some mini chocolate chips into the batter for another layer of chocolate. You can also add peanut butter or butterscotch chips too.
5. Fruit - Stir a bit of diced dried ginger or dried cranberries into the batter at the end. You can use fresh fruit too as I do in my Raspberry Brownies.
6. Chopped Nuts - You can add any type of finely chopped nuts to the batter before baking such as walnuts, pecans, and roasted hazelnuts.
7. Spices - Add a bit of flavor with a dash of ground cinnamon or cardamom. For a touch of heat, a bit of cayenne pepper is fantastic.

🎓 Expert tips

1. Use high-quality semi sweet chocolate and unsweetened cocoa powder for the best chocolate flavor. Cheaper chocolate can also seize up or break.
2. Do not omit the salt. Because the recipe calls for unsalted butter, the added salt is needed.
3. The eggs must be at room temperature so that the batter emulsifies and comes together properly.
4. Use the combination of white and brown sugar. Using only just one will impact the texture and rise.
5. Do not add baking powder or baking soda. Neither was purposely not included in this recipe.
6. It's better to underbake these brownies in a muffin pan rather than over-bake them, which will dry them out.

🥣 Equipment Notes

This brownie muffins recipe is easy peasy, but you will need a few pieces of equipment.

For the best baking experience, you always need a digital scale to measure the ingredients properly and a digital oven thermometer so you can make any temperature adjustments to your oven if needed.

And for this muffin recipe, an electric hand mixer is the best tool to whip the eggs and sugars together. Then you'll need a rubber spatula to carefully fold the dry ingredients into the whipped egg mixture. And of course, you'll need a cupcake tin to bake the fudgy muffins.

❓Recipe FAQs

🍫 More Chocolate recipes