Julie Clark
Posted:
Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
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Make your own chocolate chip cupcakes from scratch! Homemade white cupcakes that are light and moist with mini chocolate chips inside.
Baking from scratch doesn’t have to be intimidating, especially with our easy chocolate chip cupcake recipe. These moist cupcakes start with a classic vanilla base and have mini chocolate chips in every bite. They are a hit for birthdays, Valentine’s Day, or even a last-minute bake sale.
We tweaked this recipe from my favorite cookbook, the Mennonite Community Cookbook. You’ve mastered our easy chocolate chip cookie, and with our step-by-step techniques, you’ll be a cupcake pro at no time at all.
What is the secret to moist cupcakes?
Different cupcake recipes have ingredients that make them moist. Our strawberry cupcakes have Jello and oil. Our cream cupcakes have heavy cream.
This moist chocolate chip cupcakes recipe is more traditional, made with egg, milk, butter and oil for the ultimate in moistness.
Ingredients in Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
- Cake flour. Why cake flour? It’s a low protein flour, which results in less gluten formation. That means tender cupcakes! Will all-purpose flour work? Yes, but cake flour gives the best results and that’s what I recommend to ensure success.
- Butter, egg and milk. You’ll want to make sure the butter, egg and milk are at room temperature when you mix together the batter. This ensures that the batter will be smooth. If you add cold ingredients, the butter could harden and look lumpy or curdled.
- Mini chocolate chips. Mini chocolate chips are best so that they are less likely to sink to the bottom of the cupcakes. If you only have regular size chocolate chips, you could run them through the food processor with a couple of pulses to chop them smaller.
- Chocolate frosting. I highly recommend our fluffy chocolate buttercream frosting. It gets rave reviews!
✨ See the recipe card below for full ingredients and amounts. ✨
How to Make Chocolate Chip Cupcakes from Scratch
- Prepare. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line cupcake tins with paper liners. (This recipe yields about 20 cupcakes.)
- Cream the butter and sugar. In a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer with a large bowl), cream together the butter and sugar. Beat for 2 minutes. Add the egg and beat again.
- Mix wet and dry ingredients separately. Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, vanilla and oil.
- Combine the batter. Add the flour mixture alternately with milk mixture. Mix thoroughly after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the chocolate. Fold in the chocolate chips. Use an ice cream scoop to fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full.
- Bake the cupcakes. Bake for 16-17 minutes or until the top of the cupcake bounces back when you touch it. A toothpick inserted into the center may have a few moist crumbs and that’s ok. Allow the cupcakes to cool on a wire rack.
- Frost the cupcakes. Top with our favorite Chocolate Buttercream or your favorite chocolate frosting. Use Wilton tip 1M or 2D for large swirls, or use a spatula for a thinner layer of frosting.
Other Frosting Ideas
Top these sweet things with our best ever chocolate buttercream as we recommend, or use one of these:
And remember, shortcuts are ok. Everyone needs a time-saver now and then! Use your favorite store-bought frosting to top the cupcakes. You’ll still impress friends with these homemade chocolate chip cupcakes.
Storage Instructions
Store the chocolate chip cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
You can also freeze the cupcakes, either frosted or unfrosted. Store in the freezer for up to 6 weeks. Allow the cupcakes to fully thaw in the container before opening.
Other Cupcake Recipes
Chocolate Chip Cupcakes Recipe
Make your own chocolate chip cupcakes from scratch! Homemade white cupcakes that are light and moist with mini chocolate chips inside.
Servings 20
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 17 minutes
Total Time 27 minutes
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup salted butter at room temperature, 76 grams
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200 grams
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 2 cups cake flour 260 grams
- 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 grams
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 13 grams
- 3/4 cup 2% milk at room temperature, 6 ounces
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 5 grams
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 42 grams
- 1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 3 cups chocolate frosting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line cupcake tins with paper liners. (This recipe yields about 20 cupcakes.)
- In a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer with a large bowl), cream together the butter and sugar. Beat for 2 minutes. Add the egg and beat again. ⅓ cup salted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 large egg
- Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside. 2 cups cake flour, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, vanilla and oil. ¾ cup 2% milk, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Add the flour mixture alternately with milk mixture. Mix thoroughly after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Fold in the chocolate chips. Use an ice cream scoop to fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full. 1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Bake for 16-17 minutes or until the top of the cupcake bounces back when you touch it. Allow the cupcakes to cool on a wire rack.
- Top with our favorite Chocolate Buttercream or your favorite chocolate frosting.
Notes
- Room temperature ingredients take a little bit of planning ahead. Or if you’re like me and are terrible at planning ahead, you can soften the butter in the microwave, place the egg in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes, and put the milk in the microwave for just a few seconds to take the chill off.
- If you want just a small amount of frosting on top, you’ll use less frosting.
- Wilton tip 1M or 2D both make pretty swirls on top of cupcakes.
- Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
Nutrition
Calories: 318kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 159mg | Potassium: 147mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 138IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 1mg
HOLY CHOCOLATE CHIPS!!! Thank you so much for creating this recipe. I have never tasted such an incredible cupcake in my entire life! Muah!!
Any idea why my cupcakes rose beautifully and then quickly sank upon cooling? they shrunk about a 1/4″ to 1/2″ from the top of the cupcake liner. Still taste good, but a little denser than I would have liked. Any suggestions are greatly welcome. I’d love to perfect this recipe. Thanks.
How do you get the topping to swirl like that?
Hi, this is a dumb question… I just want to make sure I do this right..
Do I sift the dry ingredients in a separate bowl or into the one with the sugar and butter?
I see to use a separate bowl for the milk mixture. I’m a bit confused sorry
Hi! I’m making these and I don’t have a stand up mixer???? Do you think you can use beaters?
Just made these cupcakes! They are amazing! Thanks
Hello!! This recipe has worked like a charm for me in the past but for some reason my chips are now sinking, I’m so upset! I’ve made them 3 times the passed 2 days trying to figure out why. I’ve gone over the recipe step by step again and STILL can’t figure it out. Any ideas what I could be going bc I’m totally not understanding this!
I always have an issue with my cupcakes getting too done on the bottom and sticking to the paper. I have my rack in the middle of the oven, and I bake at whatever temp is called for in the recipe which of course is usually 350 or 375.
I want to try this recipe fo my daughter’s birthday (maybe add a little pink coloring to the cake!) but I want to see if I can fix my cupcake baking issues. Any thoughts?
Hi, can you tell me if i want to do a chocolate version of this, how many tb of coco powder would be ideal ?
Can this be used as a layer cake also? I have problems keeping my chips from sinking in any chocolate chip cake recipe unless its a pound cake, even when they are coated in flour.
Hello…I will be making cupcakes in cones for my sons Birthday. Do you think this recipe will work as the batter? Thanks for the recipe!
Just made these with all my kids for my mom’s birthday, thank you!! Do these keep at room temp ( for how long?) or must they be refrigerated? Thanks so much!!!
What kind of oil do you use? Vegetable?
Just made these for my daughter’s birthday and they’re so good! Thanks for the great recipe 🙂
Madre mia que cupcakes!! Deben de estar buenisimos y están tan bonitos que dá pena comerselos
Besos