There is a lot of ingredient flexibility here, too. You can use any oil you like to bake with or butter. You can use non-dairy milk, or even coffee or water for the milk. You can use a thicker Greek yogurt or a “regular” one, though I prefer the latter here. You can use white or raw sugar instead, but if you’re choosing one, I love brown sugar the most with chocolate cakes. Any kind of cocoa powder will work; I tested this with both Hershey’s Dark and Valrhona (a Dutched cocoa) and both were dreamy. The chocolate chips, however, are not optional.
- 1/2 cup (100 to 115 grams) oil or melted butter
- 2/3 cup (140 grams) light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (120 grams) milk, any kind
- 1 cup (225 grams) plain yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 cup (60 grams) cocoa powder, any kind
- 1 3/4 cups (230 grams) flour
- 1 1/3 cups (225 grams) chocolate chips, divided
Spoon the batter into the 12 muffin cups; don’t fret if it goes all the way to the top. Scatter the remaining 1/3 cup chips over the tops of the muffins. Bake muffins for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each muffin comes out batter-free.
Eat right away or store muffins a few days in an airtight container at room temperature. Muffins get a bit more dry each day that they rest, but will rewarm nicely.