Orange Chocolate Chip Muffins have the perfect amount of chocolate paired with a bright orange flavor. This moist orange muffin recipe will deliver immediate sunshine to your day!
I absolutely love citrus! My favorite part of winter is citrus season. I love seeing all the different varieties of oranges in the supermarket. Lately, I have been on a kick of eating Cara Cara oranges. They are so sweet and juicy.
I frequently use citrus in both sweet and savory dishes. I have made dozens of lemon muffins, but today, I decided to do something a little different and bake with oranges. I love everything about oranges and the smell of them just gives me energy.
Why I Love Chocolate Orange Muffins
What goes better with oranges than chocolate? It is the best combination! If you have not tried chocolate and orange together, you really are missing out.
Chocolate and orange in a muffin are just great! I love to have a batch of Orange Chocolate Chip Muffins come out of the oven on a Sunday morning. They go perfectly with a cup of coffee or tea. And my house smells like an orange air freshener with a hint of chocolate.
These chocolate orange muffins are the perfect thing to hand to my teenagers when they leave the house for school. It's not easy to get them to eat breakfast, but with these muffins, at least I have a chance. They are drizzled with more chocolate which makes them even better. Make sure to have a napkin ready when eating them.
This orange muffin recipe is my go-to for brunch as well. The bright citrus flavor paired with chocolate is the perfect thing for a meal that's a little bit breakfast and a little bit lunch.
Ingredients Needed
- Flour - Use regular all purpose flour.
- Baking Powder – Baking powder is a complete levening agent.
- Baking Soda – Baking soda helps the batter to rise.
- Salt – Salt enhances the flavors of all of the ingredients.
- Sugar – Use white granulated sugar.
- Canola Oil – This will be used in the muffins and to make the chocolate drizzle. Use any light neurtal oil.
- Eggs – Use room temperature eggs and beat them well.
- Buttermilk – If you don't have buttermilk you can add 2 ¼ teaspoons lemon juice or vinegar to regular milk.
- Orange Juice – Use fresh squeezed orange juice.
- Orange Zest – The zest of one large orange will really bump up the orange flavor.
- Chocolate Chips – You could also use chunks or experiment with dark chocolate.
How To Make Orange Chocolate Chip Muffins
I like having muffin tops on my muffins, so I fill the cups as much as possible. This recipe makes 12 muffins which are on the larger side. You could probably make 14 to 16 smaller muffins.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a twelve tin muffin pan with liners.
- In a large bowl mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a smaller bowl, beat together sugar, ½ cup oil, eggs, buttermilk, orange juice and zest.
- Make a well in the dry ingredients and slowly mix in the wet ingredients until well combined. Do not overmix. Add I cup of the chocolate chips. Reserve ¼ cup for drizzle.
- Fill the muffin cups evenly with the batter.
- Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until muffins are golden and toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean.
- Cool for 10 minutes before moving to a baking rack.
- In a small bowl mix together ¼ cup reserved chocolate chips and ½ teaspoon reserved canola oil. Melt in microwave at 30 second increments until smooth. Drizzle chocolate over muffins. (Full recipe card instructions below.)
More Fruit Muffin Recipes
More Recipes Perfect for Brunch
- Healthier Waffles with Apples
- Breakfast Wraps with Prosciutto, Eggs and Avocado
- Strawberry French Toast Sliders Stuffed with Cannoli Cream
- The Best Brunch Burger Recipe
- Simple Basic Cheese Quiche Recipe via Incredible Egg
If you like this Orange Muffin Recipe, please leave a 5-star rating.
RECIPE
Orange Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup canola oil plus ½ teaspoon reserved for drizzle
- 2 large eggs beaten
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- ⅓ cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- the zest from one large orange
- 1 ¼ cup chocolate chips or chunks, divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a twelve tin muffin pan with liners.
- In a large bowl mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a smaller bowl, beat together sugar, ½ cup oil, eggs, buttermilk, orange juice and zest.
- Make a well in the dry ingredients and slowly mix in the wet ingredients until well combined. Do not overmix. Add I cup of the chocolate chips. Reserve ¼ cup for drizzle.
- Fill the muffin cups evenly with the batter.
- Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until muffins are golden and toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean.
- Cool for 10 minutes before moving to a baking rack.
- In a small bowl mix together ¼ cup reserved chocolate chips and ½ teaspoon reserved canola oil. Melt in microwave at 30 second increments until smooth. Drizzle chocolate over muffins.
Nutrition
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The Ninja Baker
Orange and (dark) chocolate are my dream team. And, yes what a fantabulous way to start a Sunday! Your daughter is very lucky. We are lucky, too, to have you hosting this lovely citrus celebration. Thank you, Lisa =)
Marion Myers
Yummmm! Orange and chocolate makes the perfect combo. I would love to wake up to these muffins & what a great idea to make them for busy teens to grab when running out the door. Thanks for sharing & thanks so much for hosting this event!! You're the best, Lisa!!
Liz
YES! I love the scent of oranges---just peeling an orange is heavenly! Fabulous muffins and thanks so much for hosting us this week!
cheri
You can never go wrong with orange and chocolate, truly a match made in heaven. These look delicious Lisa!
Wendy Klik
I'm with you...orange and chocolate are the bomb!
Eileen
I love it when the kids are home from college and clean out the refrigerator. I bet your daughter was very happy to have these lovely muffins baked by mom!
Sues
Orange and chocolate is SUCH a delicious combination and sooo underrated! I go through phases with oranges, but am obsessed with cara cara oranges right now. These muffins look so yummy!
Renee @ReneesKitchenAdventures
These look incredible Lisa! What a great way to enjoy citrus!
Laura Dembowski
I always fill my muffin tins super full too. The bigger the better 🙂 I use tons of lemons and oranges, but rarely lime. I should work with it more.
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen
How clever is that orange air freshener? I love the smell of any citrus and I'll have to try that--right after I bake a batch of these muffins. They look SO good!
Juliana
Orange and chocolate is a great combination, and somehow I have not made anything using this combo lately...your muffins look luxurious!
Have a wonderful week ahead Lisa 🙂
Jenny
I just made these last night and they're really great! I was inspired to find an orange chocolate chip muffin recipe after having these really good ones at my local bakery, and thought, well they can't be that hard to make. These fit the bill perfectly! I was a little bit worried when the batter seemed so thin, but after baking, I found them light, fluffy, and really delicious. Thank you for a great recipe Lisa!
Jyothirmayi
Hi Lisa can you suggest how to make these without the eggs?
Can I add yogurt for the eggs n also the butter milk as mentioned in your recipe? Or will the batter become too runny?
I like orange chocolate combo n I really want to make them eggless. Please suggest.
lisa
Hello. You can try 1/2 cup yogurt OR 1/2 cup applesauce for the eggs. I have not tried that myself but heard it works as a good substitution. Good luck!
Jocelyn Ford
These were so yummy! I added a 1/4 tsp of orange essence to & they tasted like jaffa lollies. A hit with the family to. Thanks for sharing
lisa
Hi Jocelyn,
Thanks for the review! Glad you enjoyed. I will have to try some jaffa lollies as I never had them before.,
Best, Lisa