Double Chocolate Espresso Muffins

The recipe, step by step

These double chocolate espresso muffins are soft, light and incredibly chocolatey, with cocoa throughout the sponge, generous chunks of chocolate and just enough espresso to deepen the flavour.

They are also wonderfully quick to make. The batter takes about 10 minutes to prepare and the muffins need only 14–16 minutes in the oven, so you can have a freshly baked batch ready in around half an hour.

The espresso works particularly well here because it intensifies the cocoa and chocolate rather than making the muffins taste strongly of coffee. For even taller muffins, you can also refrigerate the finished batter for an hour before baking.

For more indulgent chocolate recipes, try my Devil’s Food Cake or Molten Chocolate Fondants.

Recipe Highlights

• Quick and easy: Approximately 10 minutes preparation and 14–16 minutes baking.
• Double chocolate: Cocoa powder flavours the sponge while chopped chocolate creates rich, gooey pockets throughout.
• Espresso: A little coffee deepens the chocolate flavour.
• Texture: Light, fluffy and moist with plenty of melted chocolate chunks.
• No eggs: The muffins are naturally egg-free.
• Vegan option: Use non-dairy milk and vegan chocolate.
• Optional resting: Refrigerating the batter for an hour before baking can give the muffins an even better rise.
• Quantity: Makes 12 muffins.
• Time: Approximately 24 minutes, plus 1 hour optional resting time.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Plain flour: Use 250 g plain or all-purpose flour. This gives the muffins their structure while keeping the crumb light.
• Unsweetened cocoa powder: Use 50 g. A good-quality cocoa powder gives the muffins their deep chocolate flavour.
• Bicarbonate of soda: Use ½ teaspoon. It works with the acidic lemon juice or vinegar to help create a light, well-risen muffin.
• Baking powder: Use 1 teaspoon for additional lift.
• Fine sea salt: Add a pinch. Salt balances the sweetness and helps intensify the chocolate flavour.
• Neutral-tasting oil: Use 80 ml, or approximately 70 g, of coconut, vegetable or sunflower oil. Oil keeps the muffins particularly moist and soft.
• Caster sugar: Use 150 g for sweetness and structure.
• Milk: Use 240 ml milk or non-dairy milk, such as oat, rice, soy or almond milk.
• Apple vinegar or lemon juice: Use 1 tablespoon (15 g). The acidity reacts with the bicarbonate of soda and contributes to the light texture.
• Espresso coffee: Use 3 tablespoons (45 g). It gives the chocolate greater depth without overwhelming the muffins with coffee flavour.
• Chocolate: Use 150 g dark or milk chocolate, chopped into pieces. For vegan muffins, choose a suitable vegan chocolate.

How to Make Double Chocolate Espresso Muffins

1. Preheat the oven: If you are baking the muffins immediately, preheat the oven to 200°C / 180°C fan / 400°F / Gas 6.

2. Prepare the muffin tin: Line a 12-hole muffin tin with 12 paper muffin cases.

3. Combine the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, fine sea salt, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and 100 g of the chopped chocolate.

4. Combine the wet ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the neutral oil, caster sugar, milk, lemon juice or vinegar and espresso.

5. Make the batter: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently whisk until just incorporated. Do not overmix or the muffins may become tough.

6. Fill the cases: Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cases, filling each approximately two-thirds full. A large cookie scoop works particularly well; use roughly 3 tablespoons batter per muffin.

7. Add the remaining chocolate: Scatter the remaining 50 g chopped chocolate over the tops.

8. Optional resting: For a taller rise, place the filled muffin tray in the refrigerator for 1 hour before baking.

9. Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 14–16 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs attached.

10. Cool briefly: Leave the muffins in the tin for 5 minutes.

11. Cool completely: Transfer them to a wire rack and leave to cool.

Nigel’s Recipe Tips

Use good-quality cocoa and chocolate. Both are central to the flavour of these muffins, so using chocolate you genuinely enjoy eating makes a noticeable difference.

Do not overmix the batter. As soon as the flour disappears, stop mixing. Overworking muffin batter develops the gluten and can produce a dense, rubbery texture.

Save some chocolate for the tops. Adding part of the chopped chocolate after filling the cases gives you those lovely visible melted chocolate pieces on the finished muffins.

Do not overfill the cases. Around two-thirds full gives the batter room to rise without overflowing.

Rest the batter for taller muffins. The one-hour refrigeration is optional, but it can help give the muffins a more pronounced rise.

Do not overbake them. Chocolate muffins can look deceptively soft when they are actually done. Start checking at 14 minutes rather than leaving them in unnecessarily.

Let them stand for five minutes. Fresh muffins are fragile when they first come out of the oven. A few minutes in the tin allows their structure to set before moving them to the cooling rack.

Variations

Chocolate Orange Muffins

Use a good-quality orange-flavoured dark chocolate or add finely grated orange zest to complement the cocoa and espresso.

Chocolate Mint Muffins

Choose a naturally flavoured mint chocolate for a chocolate-mint variation.

Chocolate Raspberry Muffins

Raspberry-flavoured dark chocolate works beautifully with the rich cocoa base.

Chocolate and Hazelnut Muffins

Add 100 g chopped hazelnuts to the batter for extra crunch and a flavour that works particularly well with chocolate.

Chocolate and Pecan Muffins

Add 100 g chopped pecans for a slightly sweeter, buttery nut flavour.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Add Espresso to Chocolate Muffins?

Coffee naturally complements cocoa and can make chocolate taste deeper and more intense. With only 3 tablespoons espresso in the entire batch, these remain chocolate muffins rather than strongly coffee-flavoured muffins.

Can I Make These Muffins Vegan?

Yes. Use a non-dairy milk and make sure the chocolate you choose is vegan.

Why Does the Recipe Use Both Baking Powder and Bicarbonate of Soda?

The two raising agents help give the muffins plenty of lift. The bicarbonate of soda also reacts with the acidic lemon juice or vinegar, while the baking powder provides additional leavening during baking.

Can I Rest the Batter Overnight?

The supplied recipe specifically tests a 1-hour refrigerator rest. I would stay with that timing rather than extending it without testing how the raising agents perform after a much longer rest.

Do I Have to Rest the Batter?

No. The muffins can go straight into the oven. The resting stage is optional and is included when you want to encourage a taller rise.

Can I Use Regular Milk?

Yes, although the resulting muffins will no longer be dairy-free or vegan.

Can I Use Milk Chocolate?

Yes. Dark or milk chocolate can be used, although milk chocolate will naturally make the finished muffins sweeter.

Tools You’ll Need

• Large mixing bowl
• Medium mixing bowl
• Whisk
• Spatula
• 12-hole muffin tin
• Paper muffin cases (5 x 3.5cm)
• Large cookie scoop, optional
• Wire cooling rack
• Digital kitchen scales

Storage and Freezing

Storing

Allow the muffins to cool completely, then keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

For the best texture, avoid refrigerating them unnecessarily, as refrigeration can make muffins firm and dry more quickly.

A muffin can be warmed briefly before serving to soften the crumb and make the chocolate pieces slightly gooey again.

Freezing

These muffins freeze beautifully for up to 3 months.

Once completely cool, place them in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container. You can freeze them individually if you prefer to remove only what you need.

Defrost at room temperature for a couple of hours before serving. A brief warm-through afterwards will refresh the texture nicely.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 muffin (1/12 of the recipe)

Calories: 269.41 kcal · 13% DV
Total Fat: 11.46 g · 16% DV
Carbohydrates: 40 g · 15% DV
Sugars: 18.54 g · 21% DV
Protein: 3.84 g · 8% DV
Sodium: 114.11 mg · 6% DV
Fibre: 2.93 g · 10% DV

% Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet.

Nutritional information is provided as an estimate and may vary depending on the exact ingredients, brands and serving size used.

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