These chocolate fudge muffins are soft, fluffy and super moist, with extra chocolatey flavour. Chocolate spiderweb decorations make them a perfect sweet treat for the Halloween for kids and grown-ups alike!
Using a mild-flavoured oil instead of butter in this recipe makes these chocolate fudge muffins stay moist for days, and addition of buttermilk creates the softest and most tender crumb that almost melts in your mouth!
If you enjoy big, fluffy, bakery-style muffins and chocolate flavour, then these chocolate fudge spiderweb muffins are for you! With their classic 'muffin tops' and simple, but effective spiderweb decoration, these are perfect for the spooky season and beyond.
My chocolate fudge muffins have incredibly soft and tender texture, thanks to my not-so-secret ingredient. Just like my Cinnamon Oatmeal Muffins and my Banana and Blueberry Muffins, they are made with buttermilk. This, and the addition of oil and soured cream makes them stand out from the crowd, and allows the muffins to stay soft for days.
Jump to:
Ingredients
Chocolate fudge muffins are made with the following ingredients:
- Flour - I'm using the self-raising flour here, which already has raising agents added to it. Check out the substitutions notes below in this post for the alternatives to self-raising flour.
- Sugar - Golden caster sugar is great in this recipe, as it adds a very subtle caramel flavours.
- Baking soda - Only ½ teaspoon of baking soda to produce more rise in the muffins.
- Buttermilk - My secret weapon for all of my muffin recipes! Buttermilk, just like yoghurt or sour cream helps to tenderize gluten, giving these muffins a softer texture and more body.
- Soured cream - Same as above, but also for an extra tang and even more tender bite.
- Cocoa powder - Try to use a good quality, unsweetened cocoa powder. It really makes a big difference to the taste and to the appearance of this bake!
- Chocolate - In this recipe, we are using chocolate chips (dark or milk), as well as dark and white chocolate for the decoration.
Scroll to the bottom of this post for the recipe card and the full list of the ingredients.
Instructions
These chocolate chip muffins come together in only few, very simple steps. We are using the classic muffin mixing method, adding the wet ingredients into the dry ones.
I always find that muffins rise and spread much nicer and more evenly, if they have more room to do so in the baking pan. So I normally bake 6 muffins in the 12-hole baking pan at a time. I fill every other hole with paper case, leaving the rest empty.
That said, you can bake them all together, as one batch. Just be aware that the muffins may be a bit more uneven, and will not raise as much.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients.
In a medium bowl, combine all of the wet ingredients.
Hint: Make sure that the buttermilk and the soured cream are at room temperature before mixing the wet ingredients together. This will ensure even mixing and no curdling.
Add the wet ingredients mixture and chocolate chips into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Fold until just combined.
Transfer the batter into baking tin lined with muffin cases. Bake for 20-23 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
Hint: Filling the muffin cases all the way to the top will create the 'muffin tops'. If you don't want the tall, big muffins, fill the cases up to ¾ full.
Dip each muffin into melted dark chocolate.
Use the white chocolate to pipe 4 concentric circles on top of each muffin.
Drag the toothpick or a skewer through the white chocolate, starting from the middle towards the edge.
Repeat to create the spiderweb effect.
Substitutions and variations
- Self-raising flour - If you don't have any self-raising flour, you can use the same amount of plain/ all purpose flour, and add 2 ½ teaspoon of baking powder to it.
- Sugar - If no golden caster sugar is available, you can use any other type of sugar.
- Buttermilk - Make your own buttermilk by combining the same amount of milk of choice (250 ml) with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar. Set the mixture aside for 5 minutes. It will curdle and thicken a bit, and that is exactly how it should be.
- Soured cream - Use an extra buttermilk or same amount of natural yoghurt to replace the sour cream.
- Chocolate - Feel free to use chocolate chips or chocolate bars chopped into chocolate chunks instead. Both types will work just as well.
Here are few ideas to try, if you would like to introduce some more variety to this chocolate muffins recipe:
- Triple chocolate fudge muffins - Replace 50 g of chocolate chips in the batter with milk or white chocolate chips.
- Add some chopped nuts - Add a handful of chopped walnuts, hazelnuts or cashews to the muffin batter for an extra texture and flavour.
- Chocolate banana muffins - Replace one egg with a small ripe banana for an extra flavour! Simply add mashed banana to the wet ingredients.
- Vegan chocolate muffins - Check out this recipe for Vegan Chocolate Muffins from Ela Vegan blog.
Equipment
Here's the list of the equipment to bake these double chocolate muffins:
- Muffin pan - You can use a standard, 12-hole muffin/ cupcake baking tin. If you will be baking 6 muffins at at time, you may find that having two baking tins will allow you to bake them both together. Otherwise, use one, and bake two batches.
- Muffin cases - Use the ready made muffin cases, which are widely available in stores these days. Alternatively, check out this helpful post on how to make your own muffin cases from Emma Duckworth Bakes.
- Ice cream scoop - I always use an ice cream scoop to divide my muffin or cupcake batter, as it gives my bakes the most uniform look. For these easy chocolate fudge muffins, I use my large scoop, which is 2 oz (about 59 ml) in capacity. But this is an optional item, as couple of dessert spoons will do just as good job.
- Piping bag - For piping the white chocolate circles to create the web decoration. Use a disposable piping bag or zip-lock style bag, and snip off a small corner from it to create a small opening.
Storage
One of the greatest things about these easy chocolate muffins is the fact that they will stay moist and soft even few days after making them. Thanks to the use of oil, these fudgy chocolate muffins do not dry out as quickly, and can retain that wonderful texture for longer.
Store them in an air tight container at room temperature for 2-3 days, or in the fridge for up to a week. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Plain, undecorated muffins are also suitable for freezing for up to 3 months. To freeze, wrap each individual muffin in a double layer of clingfilm and place in the freezer. Thaw in the fridge or at room temperature.
You can also re-heat them gently in a microwave or in the warm oven.
Top tip
If there is one tip to give you, it will be to make sure you do not over-mix the muffin batter. You want the ingredients to only JUST come together. Muffin batter supposed to be rather thick and a little lumpy.
When you over-mix the batter, it will crash the air bubbles and will ruin that wonderful fluffy texture. The muffins will be dense and tough, and we want the opposite of that!
Frequently asked questions
This could be due to a few reasons. The raising agents you used could be out of date, the oven temperature was too low, or your batter was not mixed in a correct way. Always check the dates on your baking ingredients, use a separate oven thermometer and mix the batter as per the recipe instructions.
I personally haven't tried this recipe with gluten-free substitutes, but I believe it will work just fine. Replace the flour with gluten-free one, and make sure the raising agents are also gluten free.
Check the temperature of your oven. If it was set too high, it will cause the bake to come out dry. Also, if the muffin batter has been over-mixed, the muffins will be dry and dense. Mix the batter only until the ingredients are JUST combined. Few spots of flour remaining in the batter are fine.
To pin this recipe and save it for later, use the button on the recipe card or on the photos above.
If you try this recipe, or any other recipe on Anna Banana, please take a moment to rate the recipe and/ or leave me a comment. I love hearing from you, but it also helps other readers who are thinking of making the recipe.
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Fudge Spiderweb Muffins
Equipment
- 12-hole muffin/ cupcake tin
- 12 paper muffin cases
- large ice cream scoop optional
- mixing bowls
- piping bag or a plastic zip-lock bag
Ingredients
- 265 g self- raising flour *see notes for the alternative
- 50 g cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 200 g golden caster sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 150 g milk or dark chocolate chips
- 150 ml mild olive oil or mild vegetable oil
- 250 ml buttermilk room temperature; *see notes for the alternative
- 60 ml soured cream room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Topping:
- 200 g dark chocolate chopped
- 100 g white chocolate chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170°C (fan) and line the muffin tin with muffin cases. You can bake all 12 muffins at the same time, or bake two batches of 6 muffins, which will allow more room for muffins to expand while baking.
- In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients: the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, sugar and salt.265 g self- raising flour, 50 g cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 200 g golden caster sugar, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a medium bowl, combine all the wet ingredients: buttermilk, soured cream, oil, eggs and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold briefly, then fold in the chocolate chips. Mix the batter until JUST combined.150 ml mild olive oil or mild vegetable oil, 250 ml buttermilk, 60 ml soured cream, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 150 g milk or dark chocolate chips
- Using the large ice cream scoop or a couple of dessert spoons, scoop the batter out and fill each paper muffin case almost right up to the top (watch the video for visuals). Place in the oven and bake for 20- 23 minutes, until well risen and toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a couple of minutes, then remove the muffins from the tin onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Once the muffins have cooled completely, melt the white and the dark chocolate in separate bowls using the microwave or a bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. Transfer the white chocolate into a piping bag or a zip-lock style bag with small corner cut off.200 g dark chocolate, 100 g white chocolate
- Working one muffin at a time, dip the top in dark chocolate, then pipe 4 concentric circles of white chocolate on top. Use a toothpick or a skewer, drag through the circles at regular intervals, working from the centre towards the edge to create a web effect. Repeat with the remaining muffins. Enjoy!
Please note that all my recipes are developed and tested in metric grams. I recommend that you use digital scales for a more accurate results. I have provided a conversion to US customary in the recipe but please note that I haven’t tested using this method.
Video
Notes
- Alternatively, you can use plain/ all-purpose flour with 2 ½ teaspoon of baking powder added to it.
- You can make your own buttermilk by mixing 250 ml of milk (any type) with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar. Set the mixture aside for 5 minutes until it starts to curdle. Use as per the recipe instructions.
- Do not over-mix the muffin batter. Muffin batter should be a bit lumpy. It's fine if few spots of flour are still remaining! Over-mixing will produce tough and denser muffins.
- If baking 6 muffins at a time, place the paper cases in every other cup of your muffin tin. This will give plenty of room for the chocolate muffins to expand without touching each other.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in October 2016. It has been updated with the new photos, video, revised recipe and tips in October 2022.
Jackie says
Made this for Halloween and they came out PERFECT! I replaced the eggs for flaxseed, buttermilk for homemade vegan buttermilk, sour cream for vegan yogurt and the flour with gluten-free self-raising flour. They were a smashing hit, everybody enjoyed them. Thank you for this great recipe! 💖💖💖
Anna says
Thanks so much Jackie, I'm really pleased to hear that the recipe works with all the substitutes, I'm sure other readers will find that very helpful too!