Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

These chocolate chip cupcakes are a dessert lover’s dream! Tender and fluffy, these bakery treats feature white vanilla cake loaded with chocolate bits. The cupcakes are crowned with luscious swirls of vanilla frosting.

PIN CHOCOLATE CHIP CUPCAKES

This easy cupcake recipe is popular for several reasons. You can make the batter quickly with a few basic refrigerator and pantry staples. With just 3 ingredients, the yummy buttercream frosting comes together in minutes.

And if you’re in a super hurry, you can use a container of store-bought frosting instead of homemade. The best ones to use would be vanilla frosting or chocolate frosting. Just pipe it on and garnish the swirls with a sprinkling of mini chocolate chips.

When it comes to creating a luxurious dessert for a special occasion, these beautiful cupcakes are much easier to assemble and decorate than a layered cake. The result is a stunning presentation with minimal effort.

Festive and scrumptious, these bakery-quality desserts are ideal for celebrations all year long. Think birthdays, school parties, graduations, wedding showers, and baby showers. Because they’re easy to transport, they’re also perfect for for picnics, potlucks, and church socials.

Do you need a lot of chocolate chip cupcakes to serve a crowd? This is the recipe you need. It yields 1 dozen cupcakes and is easy to double. Look for the scale-up feature in the recipe card. It’s that simple!

INGREDIENTS

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

• All-Purpose Flour: This ingredient provides structure for the cupcakes. When the proteins in flour are hydrated, gluten is formed. This elastic framework provides strength and helps support the other ingredients.
• Granulated Sugar: Adds essential sweetness while keeping the cupcakes soft and moist. The bond between sugar and liquid lock in moisture so these chocolate chip cupcakes remain tender not dry.
• Baking Powder: This leavening agent helps cupcakes rise in the oven keeping them light and fluffy.
• Salt: This seasoning enhances the flavor of the other ingredients. Most especially the chocolate chips.
• Vegetable Oil: Contributes to the sensation of richness and moistness. Chocolate chip cupcakes made with oil are much moister than those that are made with butter.
• Whole Milk: The fat in whole milk adds beautiful texture to the cupcakes. But use whatever type of milk you have on hand. Even soy milk works well in this recipe.
• Large Eggs: Help bind the ingredients together.
• Vanilla Extract: Enhances the flavor and aroma of cupcakes. If you want to keep the vanilla cupcakes white, use “clear” vanilla rather than amber-colored vanilla. But either type will work for this recipe.
• Mini Chocolate Chips: I prefer using these mini morsels for more even distribution throughout the chocolate chip cupcakes. Small and light-weight, they’re also ideal for sprinkling over the frosting as a garnish. But you can use any type of chocolate chips you have on hand.

Vanilla Frosting

• Salted Butter: If using unsalted butter, add 1/4 teaspoon salt. For smooth, lump-free buttercream frosting it’s important that the butter is softened to room temperature before using it.
• Powdered Sugar: This is the base of the frosting. If your sugar has lumps or little hard bits, sift the sugar to remove them. Measure this ingredient using the fluff/spoon/level method.
• Vanilla Extract: If you’d like to keep the vanilla frosting white, use “clear” vanilla rather than amber-colored vanilla.

TIPS FOR BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP CUPCAKES

These are professional tips for bakery-quality chocolate chip cupcakes.

• Select the best ingredients. Don’t skip on quality. Use a good all-purpose flour like Bob’s Redmill or King Arthur. For butter, use brands like Tillamook or Kirkland butter from Costco. For chocolate chips, look to high-quality brands like Ghirardelli or Guittard. For an aromatic I prefer Mexican vanilla extract for it’s taste and warm buttery aroma.
• Bring ingredients to room temperature. Cold eggs will not incorporate into the cupcake batter as well as room temp eggs. When making the vanilla frosting it’s important to use room temperature butter as it will readily blend with the sugar for a smooth lump-free texture.
• Don’t overmix the cupcake batter. As the batter is mixed, gluten starts developing from proteins in the the hydrated flour. The more the batter is mixed, the more gluten is developed, and the more air bubbles get crushed in the process. We depend on air bubbles to help the batter rise in the oven so the cupcakes are tender and fluffy. Overmixed batter produces dense chocolate chip cupcakes with a coarse crumb.
• Fill cupcake tins according to recipe directions. Not all cupcakes rise the same in the oven. The amount of batter to be added to each cupcake liner is unique to each cupcake recipe. To achieve optimum results for these chocolate chip cupcakes, fill the paper liners 2/3 full.
• Immediately transfer cupcakes to a wire rack. Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.

RECIPE STEPS

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

RECIPE PREP: Adjust oven rack to the center position. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-well cupcake tin with paper liners. Or spray the wells of the pan with nonstick baking spray.

• STEP 1: In a large bowl, combine flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt.
• STEP 2: In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, milk, eggs and vanilla extract.
• STEP 3: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to stir the mixture together. A few clumps are okay. Don’t overmix. Add 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips. Stir until just combined.
• STEP 4: With a 1/4 measuring cup or a metal scoop, evenly divide the batter between the wells of the cupcake pan filling each one 2/3 full. Bake 14 to 16 minutes, or until the tops of the cupcakes are a light golden blonde and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.

• STEP 5: Transfer the cupcakes to a metal rack. Let them cool completely to room temperature.
• STEP 6: Scoop out the center of each cupcake with a small metal scoop (or tomato corer or paring knife). Fill with 1/2 teaspoon mini chocolate chips. Return scooped-out piece of cake back on top, covering the chocolate. Once frosted, the cutouts will not be visible.

Vanilla Frosting

• STEP 1: In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the softened butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
• STEP 2: Drape a lint-free kitchen towel over the top of the machine to protect your countertop from puffs of powdered sugar. A little at a time, slowly add the powered sugar to the bowl. Once sugar is fully incorporated, add in vanilla extract. Mix until combined.
• STEP 3: Transfer frosting to a piping bag (or to a large zip-top bag with a corner snipped) fitted with your favorite metal tip. Pipe icing onto the cupcakes in swirls, leaving a 1/2-inch unfrosted border (bakery style) so a bit of the vanilla cake is visible.
• STEP 4: Sprinkle the frosting with mini chocolate chips.

RECIPE FAQ

These are the most commonly-asked questions when making chocolate chip cupcakes and the most helpful answers for recipe success.

MORE CUPCAKE RECIPES

If you enjoy bakery-quality cupcakes, you need these easy recipes in your collection. Print out your favorites for later, or pin them Pinterest.

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Culinary professionals taste tested these bakery-quality desserts. They all agreed this recipe produces the BEST chocolate chip cupcakes with the most scrumptious buttercream frosting. Just like those from a bakery.

If you agree these hand-held treats have an amazing flavor, texture, and gorgeous presentation, give them a 5-star rating in the comments. Then be a recipe hero. Pin it to Pinterest. Share it on Facebook.

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