Moist tender Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins that taste as good as store bought, but have a little extra nutrition? Sign. Me. Up. These muffins are seriously delicious and are a must-make if you have fans of Little Bites in your house!

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Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins

Every time I go to our local big box store, I always walk by a giant stack of Little Bites muffin boxes. And while I almost never have the urge to do copycat recipes, this one stuck with me—because I just knew I could make an equally tender little muffin that the kids would love.

And with the inclusion of yogurt and a little less sugar, and a super simple method, these are exactly the kind of homemade snack that makes me excited. (Especially since I love to snack on these too!)

My three kids all adore these muffins. They’re a great preschool snack, after school snack, or snack to go with lunch and are one of my all-time most popular kids muffin recipes.

(Know that you can swap in blueberries for the chocolate chips if your kids prefer blueberry mini muffins, or check out my Sprinkle Muffins.)

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Ingredients You Need

Here’s a look at what you’ll need to make this recipe so you know what to pick up at the store and have on hand for baking.

ingredients in chocolate chip mini muffins
  • All purpose flour: I use regular all-purpose flour here to ensure that the muffins are light and fluffy after baking.
  • Baking powder and baking soda: A combination of both of these ensures that the muffins are tender and rise properly.
  • Maple syrup: You can use maple syrup, honey, or granulated sugar to sweeten these muffins just a smidge for the kids.
  • Plain Greek yogurt: I love baking with yogurt and like the consistency of the muffins using Greek yogurt. If you only have regular style yogurt, that is totally fine. You’ll just want to add a smidge more flour. See the Notes at the end of the recipe for the details.
  • Eggs: Large eggs help to hold the ingredients together and bake tender muffins.
  • Unsalted butter: I prefer to bake with unsalted butter so that I can control the amount of added salt.
  • Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract adds that classic vanilla flavor that pairs so well with chocolate chips.
  • Chocolate chips: I prefer to use mini chocolate chips in these mini muffins, but regular size ones will work too.

TIP: See the Notes at the bottom of the recipe for allergy variations to make these without eggs, dairy, and gluten.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Here’s the general process for making this recipe so you know what to expect. Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full how-to on the timing and amounts.

how to make mini chocolate chip muffins step by step
  1. Stir together the wet ingredients.
  2. Stir together the dry ingredients, then mix in the wet. Add the chocolate chips.
  3. Divide among a greased mini muffin pan.
  4. Bake! These muffins bake quickly, so set that timer and avoid over baking for the best results.

Use a small knife to help transfer the cooked muffins to a wire rack to cool fully. (Note that I do not recommend using paper cupcake liners with these as they will likely stick. Nonstick spray is a better option.)

baked mini chocolate chip muffins on rack

Frequently Asked Questions

How long can I store these muffins?

You can store them, once cooled, in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature. They hold well for up to 5 in the fridge, but you may want to warm them briefly to serve from the fridge as they firm up when cold.

How are these different from store-bought Little Bites?

They have less sugar, twice as much protein, and you have the ability to control more of the ingredients.

What should I serve these with?

We usually have them for breakfast or snack with cut up fruit, though they’d also work with a smoothie, a cheese stick, and a smoothie—among other lunch snacks.

mini chocolate chip muffins on blue plate

How to Store

  • Once cooled, store in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature. Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Warm slightly to serve from the fridge as they will firm up when cold.
  • You can also freeze the muffins in a freezer bag with as much air removed as possible for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in 15 second increments in the microwave.

Best Tips for Success

  • I like using whole milk Greek yogurt in this recipe. You can use regular style yogurt if you prefer. If using regular yogurt, add 2 tablespoons additional flour to ensure that the muffin batter isn’t too runny.
  • You can use an equal amount of sugar instead of maple syrup if that’s what you have.
  • Dairy-free: Use a nondairy Greek style yogurt like the plant-based options from Siggis and a neutral oil like canola in place of the butter.
  • Egg-free: Omit the eggs. Add ½ cup milk and use ¾ teaspoon baking soda.
  • Gluten-free: Use cup for cup style of gluten-free all purpose flour like the one from King Arthur Flour.
  • Note that I do not recommend using paper cupcake liners with these as they will likely stick. Nonstick spray is a better option.)

I’d love to hear your feedback on this recipe if you try it, so please rate and leave a comment below!

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mini-chocolate-chip-muffins-on-counter

Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins (Little Bites Copycat)

Moist tender Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins that taste as good as store bought, but have a little extra nutrition? Sign. Me. Up. These muffins are seriously delicious and are a must-make if you have fans of Little Bites in your house!
5 from 425 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 22 minutes
Cuisine American
Course Breakfast
Calories 175kcal
Servings 12 (Makes 24 mini muffins)

Ingredients

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Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan with nonstick spray.
  • In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  • In another bowl, stir together the yogurt, maple syrup, eggs, butter, and vanilla.
  • Gently stir the yogurt mixture into the flour mixture.
  • Stir in the chocolate chips.
  • Divide batter among the prepared muffin tin, filling about to the edge. (You'll use about 1 ½ tablespoon in each mini muffin cup.)
  • Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out cleanly. Do not over bake.
  • Remove from oven, and let cool in the pan for 2 minutes. Run a paring knife around the edges to loosen, if needed, then carefully transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool fully.

Video

Notes

  • Once cooled, store in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature. Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Warm slightly to serve from the fridge as they will firm up when cold.
  • You can also freeze the muffins in a freezer bag with as much air removed as possible for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in 15 second increments in the microwave.
  • I like using whole milk Greek yogurt in this recipe. You can use regular style yogurt if you prefer, just add 2 tablespoons additional all-purpose flour to ensure that the batter isn’t too runny.
  • I prefer mini chocolate chips since they are more evenly distributed through the muffins but you can use regular ones if you prefer. If you use regular size chocolate chips, I would use 1 cup.
  • Dairy-free: Use a nondairy Greek style yogurt like the plant-based options from Siggis and a neutral oil like canola in place of the butter.
  • Egg-free: Omit the eggs. Add ½ cup milk and use ¾ teaspoon baking soda.
  • Gluten-free: Use cup for cup gluten-free all purpose flour.

Nutrition

Serving: 2muffins, Calories: 175kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 40mg, Sodium: 155mg, Potassium: 67mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 13g, Vitamin A: 184IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 68mg, Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Rate in the comments and tag @yummytoddlerfood on IG!

This post was first published April 2021.

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5 from 425 votes (193 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Best muffins ever! These are such a winner! My husband and I devoured a few before they’d even cooled down enough to give to the kids haha! I used normal sized chocolate chips because that’s what I had and I think they turned out great. This is a fantastic recipe and I think I’ll be making these all the time now! Thanks Amy

  2. 5 stars
    A real winner! They are so moist! Husband loves them too. I use fresh milled flour and date sweetened chocolate chips, the best! Sometimes I make them as mini donuts .

    1. We love these muffins. But do you have any tips how to get them not to stick? I’ve used cooking spray, oil, butter, muffin papers. They stick so bad no matter what I do. Should I cook them less time? Thanks

      1. If muffins are consistently sticking to your pan, it might be time to replace the pan. I use classic nonstick spray.

      2. I use parchment paper liners, they stuck a little but as they cooled they peeled away easier. I also made these GF, had to cook for 18min total.

  3. 5 stars
    My word, these are good. I had to supplement the maple syrup with honey because I ran out and it worked great. Will be making these often.

  4. 5 stars
    Such a hit with my little and all his friends he shared with. So moist and fluffy. Will have this on repeat with my “I want to do it” threenager.

  5. 5 stars
    I love that there is an egg-free alternative for my kiddo with an egg allergy! Baking my first batch now… seems runny with the addition of milk/baking soda in place of the eggs. We will see what comes of it, but I’m excited to finally have a homemade muffin recipe for my kiddo that doesn’t reply on subbing in flax!

  6. 5 stars
    I make these, at the very least, once a week. They’re a great way to get some protein in & soooo delicious. I end up getting more than 24 muffins ( it’s prob my mini muffin pan) and they’re gone within 2 days!

  7. 5 stars
    These muffins taste amazing and even better than the original ones! I am probably doing something wrong but they seem to come out so big even though I only put the recommend 1.5 tbsp of batter into each well. Has this happened to anyone else?

    1. You can try putting a paper towel on the inside base of the container to see if that helps absorb a little moisture.