Easy Chocolate Chip Cupcakes (From Scratch)
These Easy Chocolate Chip Cupcakes from Scratch are soft and tender, loaded with delicious chocolate chips, and topped with a tasty peanut butter frosting. They’re the perfect little treat for a birthday celebration or an after-school snack. Making cupcakes from scratch is easier than you think, you won’t regret making this recipe.
For a lower sugar cupcake be sure to check out this Sugar Free Cupcakes recipe.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll This Recipe
- The cupcakes are easy to make. All you need is a few basic ingredients and some chocolate chips.
- These cupcakes are made from scratch, so they’re free of preservatives and artificial flavors.
- Perfect recipe to share with a crowd. You’ll get 24-30 cupcakes from this recipe.
- The peanut butter frosting complements the classic chocolate chip flavor perfectly!
If you love chocolate and peanut butter together then you need to check out this Brownie Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Cups recipe. It’s amazing!
Equipment Needed
You only need a few kitchen tools to help you make this delicious cupcake recipe. Gather these kitchen tools and get ready to enjoy this easy recipe.
- cupcake tin or muffin tin
- large bowl
- electric mixer – hand mixer or stand mixer
- cupcake liners
- piping bag
- ice cream scoop or cookie scoop – optional
Ingredients
You only need a few simple ingredients to help you make this delicious cupcake recipe. I bet you have most of these ingredients already in your pantries which can save a trip to the grocery store.
For the cupcakes
- cake flour – this gives the cupcakes a light and airy texture.
- sugar, granulated and light brown sugar
- leavening ingredients; baking powder, baking soda
- salt
- unsalted butter
- vegetable oil or canola oil
- large eggs
- vanilla extract
- sour cream – you can use lite if you would like. I used full-fat for this recipe.
- buttermilk – to make a home made version add 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to a measuring cup, then fill with milk up to the 1 cup mark, and let sit for 5 minutes or until milk thickens. You will use 1/4 cup of this homemade buttermilk.
- miniature chocolate chips (plus additional for garnishing, if desired)
For the frosting
- creamy peanut butter
- unsalted butter
- powdered sugar
- pinch of salt
- milk
How to Make Easy Chocolate Chip Cupcakes From Scratch
Making these homemade moist cupcakes are so simple. You can leave the frosting off if you would like. They’re perfectly sweet without the peanut butter frosting. Let’s get baking!
Step 1: Preheat the oven and prepare baking pans
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare two muffin pans with cupcake liners. Lightly spray the cupcake liners with nonstick cooking spray.
Step 2: Whisk together the dry ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Step 3: Add the butter and oil
Add the melted butter and oil to the flour mixture, beating until blended. The mixture will be thick.
Step 4: Stir in peanut butter
Mix the peanut butter into the dough until equally blended.
Step 5: Add the eggs
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition and scraping down the sides as needed.
Step 6: Mix in the remaining wet ingredients
Beat in the vanilla, sour cream, and buttermilk until evenly mixed.
Step 7: Fold in the chocolate chips
Fold in the chocolate chips.
Step 8: Fill the cupcake liners
Fill the prepared cupcake liners about ⅔ full.
Step 9: Bake the chocolate chip cupcakes
Bake the cupcakes for 22 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Step 10: Cool the cupcakes
Remove the cupcakes from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
Step 11: Make the frosting
In a large mixing bowl beat together the peanut butter and butter with a hand mixer until creamy. Add the salt and powdered sugar in 1/2 cup at a time beating until the mixture is smooth. Add the milk to the frosting, scraping down the sides, and beat for about 1 minute or until the frosting is fluffy.
Step 12: Decorate the cupcakes
Transfer the frosting to a piping bag and decorate the cupcakes. Add additional chocolate chips.
What To Serve With This Dish
These homemade cupcakes pair so well with just about any meal, but one of my favorite meals to serve with them is these Air Fryer Spicy Pork Tacos and a side of this Easy Pineapple Coleslaw.
Substitutions and Additions
If you would like to change up the recipe a bit, here are some possible substitutions and additions.
- Use dark chocolate chips instead of mini chips for a deeper chocolate flavor.
- Add 1/2 cup of chopped peanuts to the batter or sprinkle on top after baking if you want to add a little crunch.
- If you are not a fan of peanut butter, you can leave it out of the batter and use a cream cheese frosting, or a vanilla buttercream frosting instead.
- To make a homemade buttermilk add 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to a measuring cup, then fill with milk up to the 1 cup mark, and let sit for 5 minutes or until milk thickens. You will use 1/4 cup of this homemade buttermilk.
- Homemade chocolate frosting would also taste amazing on top of these cupcakes.
- To cut the carbs use sugar alternative like golden monk fruit and erythritol for the sweetener and sugar free chocolate chips like ChocZero brand.
How To Store
Storing – Store the cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Freezing – You can also freeze these cupcakes. Place the cooled cupcakes (without frosting) in an airtight freezer-friendly container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To thaw, place the container on the countertop for a few hours until completely thawed.
Sandra’s Pro Tips
Here are a few tips to make sure that these cupcakes turn out perfectly for you every time that you make them.
- I like to use a cookie scoop to add the cupcake batter to the liners, it just seems to make less mess.
- Be sure not to overfill the cupcake liners when you are filling them with batter or else they may overflow in the oven.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting them. This will ensure that the frosting sticks to the cupcakes and does not slide off.
- Finally, top these cupcakes with extra chocolate chips and chopped peanuts for an added crunch and flavor!
FAQs
Do you have questions about this chocolate chip cupcakes from scratch recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions for this recipe.
Yes, you can certainly use different types of chocolate chips. Dark chocolate and semi-sweet are great alternatives that will change up the flavor!
To prevent the chocolate chips from sinking to the bottom of the cupcakes, be sure to fold them into the batter at the very end. This will help keep them suspended in the mix.
Yes, you can definitely make these cupcakes ahead of time! I like to make them the day before any parties or events. The fresher they are the better they taste.
Yes. The cupcakes will taste delicious, but the texture will not be as light and tender.
Other Delicious Cupcake Recipes You May Enjoy
- Churro Cupcakes – a hint of cinnamon comes through in these cupcakes. Light and delicious.
- Buttermilk Cupcakes with Caramel Icing – light and tender cupcakes with a mini candied apple to top off each cupcake.
- Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting – chocolate cupcakes topped with mini peanut butter cups to level up the frosting.
- Keto Irish Coffee Cupcakes – gluten free and sugar free for a low carb option.
Chocolate Chip Cupcakes Recipe from Scratch
Ingredients
Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
- 3 cups cake flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup sour cream
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- 1 cup miniature chocolate chips plus additional for garnishing, if desired
Peanut Butter Frosting
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare two muffin pans with cupcake liners. Lightly spray the cupcake liners with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the melted butter and oil to the flour mixture, beating until blended. The mixture will be thick.
- Mix the peanut butter into the dough until equally blended.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition and scraping down the sides as needed.
- Beat in the vanilla, sour cream, and buttermilk until evenly mixed.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Fill the prepared cupcake liners about ⅔ full.
- Bake the cupcakes for 22 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Remove the cupcakes from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Peanut Butter Frosting
- In a large mixing bowl beat together the peanut butter and butter with a hand mixer until creamy.
- Add the salt and powdered sugar in 1/2 cup increments at a time beating until the mixture is smooth.
- Add the milk to the frosting, and beat for about 1 minute or until the frosting is fluffy.
- Transfer the frosting to a piping bag (1M Wilton) and decorate the cupcakes. Add additional chocolate chips to decorate.
Notes
Tips
- To make a homemade buttermilk add 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to a measuring cup, then fill with milk up to the 1 cup mark, and let sit for 5 minutes or until milk thickens. You will use 1/4 cup of this homemade buttermilk.
- To cut the carbs use sugar alternative like golden monk fruit and erythritol for the sweetener and sugar free chocolate chips like ChocZero brand.
- All-purpose flour can be used in place of cake flour. The texture will be a little denser.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Please note that the nutritional information provided are guidelines and may vary based on the brand of products used. For your specific nutritional goals use My Fitness Pal or Verywell Fit recipe calculators. All content within this site is not intended as medical diagnosis or treatment and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical expertise.
