These bakery-style Chocolate Chunk Muffins are made with brown butter for the ultimate nutty, toffee flavor! Filled with chocolate chunks, the end result is large pockets of melted chocolate for a perfect sweet start to the day.

We’re more than two-thirds of the way through my 2023 Muffin of the Month series, so it’s time to shake something up and try something a little different! We’ve made muffins with melted butter, with vegetable oil, and with coconut oil, but now we’re shaking things up and making muffins with brown butter!

I’m all about easy, approachable recipes, and while the idea of browning butter might sound fancy, I promise it’s simple! If you’ve never browned butter before, don’t worry—I’ll walk you through it step by step. Once you smell that buttery, toasted aroma, you’ll understand why it’s worth the extra effort. It adds a subtle depth that you just don’t get from regular melted butter, taking these muffins to a whole new level.

And of course, there’s the chocolate. I’m talking chunks of chocolate in every bite—big enough to melt and ooze a little as you eat them, but not so much that they overpower the muffin. This recipe is all about balance: the sweetness, the rich butter, and the soft, tender crumb. It’s one of those recipes that feels like a treat but is easy enough to whip up any day of the week.

I’m also offering these brown butter chocolate chunk muffins as a small batch recipe, yielding 6 muffins at a time. I’ve received a few comments asking about halving recipes (which you can always do!), but this time I’ll provide instructions for a small batch that you can double or triple, if desired.

(My advice: go for the doubling or tripling. Store the extras in the freezer and you can have a delicious homemade muffin right on hand whenever the craving hits!)

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Butter: Unsalted butter. Because we’re browning the butter, this one requires butter – sorry, dairy free folks! You can try browning dairy-free margarine, but because margarine lacks the milk solids that are in butter, it won’t take on the nutty flavor like brown butter.
• Flour: The recipe is written for all-purpose flour, but you can substitute in gluten-free 1:1 baking mix for gluten-free muffins.
• Sugar
• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda
• Salt
• Buttermilk: The recipe needs the lower pH of buttermilk, but if you don’t have any on hand, you can mimic the lower pH by adding 2 teaspoons of vinegar or lemon juice to 1/2 cup of whole milk and letting it sit for a few minutes before adding it to the muffin batter.
• Egg
• Vanilla Extract
• Chocolate Chunks: I really like to use chocolate chunks or chopped chocolate for larger pockets of melted chocolate, but you can also use chocolate chips instead.

Browning Butter

Brown butter, also known as beurre noisette, adds an incredibly nutty aroma to baked goods. The butter still acts as a fat in the recipe, tenderizing the batter and adding richness, but once the butter has been browned, it brings a whole new set a flavors. The extra dimension really stands out in these muffins, pairing beautifully with the chocolate chunks and creating a warm, almost caramel-like undertone in every bite.

Browning butter is a fairly simple process (and I’ll provide more details below!) but essentially, you’re going to melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat, swirling the pan occasionally, until the butter is golden in color and has a nutty aroma. Once the butter turns a golden-amber color, remove it from the heat and let it cool slightly before using.

So what happens to the butter during this melting process, and why is it so important? We can learn all about it with my favorite subject… kitchen chemistry!

Kitchen Chemistry

Butter is comprised of three components: fat, water, and milk solids. When you melt butter, the water begins to evaporate and the butterfat separates from the milk solids. As the butter continues to heat, the milk solids sink to the bottom of the pan, where they begin to brown. This browning is the Maillard reaction, a chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars that gives browned foods their complex, nutty flavor and golden color. 

How to Make Chocolate Chunk Muffins

1. Preheat and Prep: Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a muffin tin with 6 paper liners.
2. Brown the Butter: Melt the butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Continue to cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the butter turns golden brown and smells nutty. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

3. Combine the Dry Ingredients: Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

4. Mix the Wet Ingredients: Whisk together the milk, egg, and vanilla extract. Pour the milk mixture and the brown butter into the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined.

5. Fold in the Chocolate: Fold in the chocolate chunks until evenly distributed. Let the batter rest for a little, if time allows.

6. Fill and Bake: Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling them about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, then allow the muffins to cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Rest Muffin Batter

This tip isn’t mandatory – these muffins will still be delicious if you bake them right away! But if you have a little extra time, I highly recommend letting the muffin batter rest for a little before adding to the muffin tins and baking!

Letting muffin batter rest before baking can actually improve the texture of your muffins. Resting allows the flour to fully hydrate, leading to a more tender crumb and giving the leavening agents (baking soda and baking powder) a chance to activate evenly. Resting also helps the batter thicken slightly, resulting in taller muffins with a better rise. Even as little as 30 minutes makes a big difference, though if you have the time, I highly recommend letter the batter rest for an hour or two!

Just look at the difference below between muffins that had a chance to rest (on the left) and those that did not (on the right):

Muffin Variations

The brown butter muffin base is delicious on its own – so feel free to play around with the add-ins! Some suggested options to get you started:

• Add chopped nuts such as walnuts, pecans, or almonds to the batter for that extra crunch!
• Incorporate dried fruit such as cranberries, cherries, or chopped apricots into the batter.
• You can use your favorite type of chocolate chips or chunks – milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or even white chocolate.

Tips and Tricks for the Best Chocolate Chunk Muffins

1.  Room Temperature Ingredients: Using room temperature ingredients helps them incorporate more easily and evenly in the batter, leading to a better texture.
2. Browning Butter: The butter can go from nutty and golden brown to burnt pretty quickly – make sure to keep an eye on it while it’s browning! Pro tip: you can even brown the butter ahead of time and store it in the fridge for up to a week! Just melt it in the microwave before using.
3. Gentle Folding: Don’t overmix the muffin batter! Mix until the ingredients are just combined and no dry streaks of flour remain to avoid tough muffins. (A few lumps in the batter are okay!)
4. Rest the Batter: After mixing the batter, let it sit for at least 30 minutes for the best texture and fluffiest muffins.
5. Double the Recipe: This recipe makes 6 muffins as written, but will double or triple beautifully.
6. Storage: Allow the muffins to cool completely at room temperature. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze, wrapping each muffin individually in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, for up to 3 months. To thaw frozen muffins, remove them from the freezer and bring to room temperature on the counter for a few hours or microwave on low until thawed.
7. Serve Warm: These muffins are best served warm so the chocolate melts again. Reheat in the microwave for 10-15 seconds or in a preheated oven at 300°F (150°C) for 5 minutes.
8. Recommended Tools: Muffin Tin | Mixing Bowls | Saucepan | Whisk | Cooling Rack

More Chocolatey Breakfasts

• Nutella Banana Bread
• Oreo Cinnamon Rolls
• Banana Bread Muffins
• Chocolate Babka
• Bacon Chocolate Chip Waffles
• Banana Chocolate Chip Crumb Cake
• Chocolate Bubble Ring