Applesauce Chocolate Muffins are soft, fluffy, and perfectly sweet with tons of melty chocolate in every bite. Made with delicious applesauce, these muffins are incredibly moist while still being light and wholesome. Every bite is full of rich cocoa, warm spices, and delicious chocolate chips. They are such a treat!
I'm on an applesauce kick, can you tell? Baking with applesauce is truly just the best!
These Applesauce Chocolate Muffins might be my new favourite. They're incredibly light in texture, but still remain perfectly moist and soft for days thanks to the applesauce.
My favourite part about these muffins is that you can barely tell there's applesauce in them. This is a very chocolate-forward muffin. I brought them over to a family party last week and no one guessed that they had applesauce in them!
Whether it's for kids snacks or an after-dinner sweet treat, these muffins are truly incredible.
Step by step instructions
Here is how to make and bake these Applesauce Chocolate Muffins. You will need a 12 muffin tin, muffin liners, 3 mixing bowls, a spatula, and a whisk.
Step 1: Mix dry ingredients. In a bowl, add flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch, cinnamon, pinch of cloves, and salt. Stir to combine and set aside.
Step 2: Whisk oil and sugars. In a large bowl, add the brown sugar, white sugar, and oil. Whisk to combine.
Step 3: Add in wet ingredients. Add in the applesauce, eggs, vanilla, and sour cream. Whisk together until smooth, about 1-2 minutes.
Step 4: Mix together. Combine the dry and wet ingredients gently just until a soft muffin batter forms; do not over-mix!
Step 5: Add in chocolate chips. Stir the chocolate chips in a couple times; do not over-mix! Rest the batter for 10 minutes.
Step 6: Scoop and bake. Divide the batter evenly between 12 liners, filling them all the way. Add extra chocolate chips on top if desired.
Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425°F, then lower the oven to 350°F and continue baking for 12-15 minutes. The muffins are ready when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
FAQ
How do I store these muffins?
Applesauce Chocolate Muffins are incredibly soft muffins. They stay good on the counter in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can also store them in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Do I have to use cocoa?
In this recipe, yes. Check out Applesauce Chocolate Chip Muffins for a cocoa-less version.
Why do you bake at 2 temperatures?
Baking muffins at two different temperatures is a simple tip that helps create a bakery-style muffin dome top and overall look. The initial high heat is only for 5 minutes, this helps the leavening agents react and batter start to rise. Once lowered, the muffins continue to bake on the inside.
Can you taste the applesauce?
Honestly no. This is a chocolate-forward muffin recipe. If you're looking for an applesauce muffin where it's applesauce-forward, check out Applesauce Muffins.
Should I use unsweetened or sweetened applesauce?
Both work great. Sweetened will be sweeter obviously. I always use unsweetened.
How do I make my muffins light and fluffy?
Do not over-mix your batter. Only mix just until no dry streaks appear. Over-mixing causes dense muffins that don't rise well.
Why do you rest the batter?
Resting the batter allows the flour to hydrate, creating a thicker batter. This results in incredible muffin texture, and helps improves the rise.
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Applesauce Chocolate Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder sifted
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of cloves optional
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2/3 cups oil
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup sour cream room temperature
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 3/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425℉/218℃. Line a muffin tin with liners and set aside.
- In a bowl, add the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Stir to combine and set aside.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, pinch of cloves, 1 tbsp cornstarch, 1/4 tsp salt
- In a large bowl, add the brown sugar, white sugar, and oil. Whisk to combine.1/2 cup dark brown sugar, 1/2 cup white sugar, 2/3 cups oil
- Add in eggs, vanilla, applesauce, and sour cream. Whisk to combine for another minute or so until smooth. Scrap the sides of the bowl as needed.1 cup unsweetened applesauce, 1/2 cup sour cream, 2 large eggs, 1 tbsp vanilla
- Add the dry and wet ingredients together. With a spatula, gently mix just until a soft muffin batter forms. Do not over-mix!
- Gently mix in the chocolate chips; do not over-mix! This is important.3/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Divide the batter evenly between the liners, they should be almost or all the way full. Sprinkle extra chocolate chips on top.
- Bake at 425℉ for 5 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350℉ and continue baking for another 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Allow to cool and enjoy! These muffins are so delicious!
Anonymous says
Thank you for sharing this recipe. It's a perfect blend of ingredients and the applesauce gives it a moist texture the family really loved. Definitely making this again.
Ania says
My pleasure! Thank you so much for the comment it made my day. I’m happy to hear you and your family enjoyed the muffins, the applesauce makes such a difference right? I love it. Keep enjoying the recipe! 😁