It’s officially back-to-school time, and even though I hated the act of actually heading back to school, I was always excited for this time of year. As a kid, it meant back-to-school shopping, getting back into a routine, hopefully having regular family dinners, and seeing the return of Gilmore Girls! Plus, of course, the colorful fall season and Halloween! I still love this time of year for all those same reasons. Well, I wish Gilmore Girls was still airing, but thankfully, Netflix has every season! Since it’s back-to-school time, my recipes always include ” after-school snacks” and family-style dinners.
And with snacks, bakery muffins are my favorite. I used to LOVE chocolate chip muffins. Of course, mine usually just came from Marc’s, our grocery store in Cleveland, and they were usually from Entenmann’s Bakery. I was recently in line at Dunkin Donuts for coffee when I saw the chocolate chip muffins. Once I saw those muffins, I knew what I was going home to make—a very updated (and better) bakery-style chocolate chip muffin. The gooey brown sugar swirl is the secret.
These are the Details
Step 1: make the muffin batter The batter starts with melted salted butter. Since there’s no banana or peanut butter, I wanted to add a little richness and saltiness. Then a little maple syrup to sweeten, yogurt and milk for moisture, eggs, and lots of vanilla extract. The dry is just my basic mix: all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Step 2: make the gooey brown sugar swirl Mix everything in a bowl. Brown sugar, apple butter, melted butter, and a pinch of salt. These will all smell so scrumptious together. If you’ve made my Brown Sugar Pop Tart Bars, this is the exact filling. It is so delicious.
Step 3: swirl the muffins Mix in a combination of mini semi-sweet chocolate chips and regular semi-sweet chocolate chips. The variety of the two ensures a perfect chocolate muffin. Then gently swirl the muffin batter with the gooey brown sugar.
Step 4: scoop the batter and bake Now, just scoop the batter into paper-lined muffin cups and bake for about 25 minutes. They will come out of the oven with a little caramelization and the most delicious smell. Is there anything more wonderful? Perfection.
Serve these with tea, coffee, hot cocoa, or even a steaming mug of cider if you’re really enjoying the cozy fall vibes. Looking for other yummy bakery items?? Here are my favorites: Giant Double Blueberry Muffin Cookies Cream Cheese Swirled Cinnamon Carrot Cake Muffins Baked Blueberry Cinnamon Sugar Doughnuts Chocolate Chunk Chai Banana Muffins Chocolate Chunk Rye Banana Bread Easy Chocolate Cinnamon Crunch Knots Lastly, if you make these Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Muffins, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
