Breaking news: you need these puffy chocolate muffins in your life right now.
I know I can be dramatic, but this is not an exaggeration. These chocolate-swirl muffins are rich, tender, and utterly divine — ideal for the holidays or any morning that calls for a special treat.
They also work perfectly for a regular weekday: I once ate almost an entire pan on a Monday and regretted nothing.
These muffins were a last-minute addition to my holiday repertoire. I’d been admiring chocolate-swirled babka loaves on Instagram for weeks and finally decided I needed the flavor in muffin form. I considered turning a babka into French toast — which you should try sometime — but the muffin tin won me over. The result is a small, portable version of that irresistible babka swirl.
Truthfully, I still want to make chocolate babka French toast someday. It would be one of the richest breakfasts imaginable.
Here’s a little story: I made these two days before I went into labor and stored the extras in a resealable bag once they cooled. When I returned home, exhausted and with a newborn, the bag of muffins was still on the counter. Eddie warmed one up for me and it still tasted fresh — not quite straight-from-the-oven fresh, but close enough. If you want to prepare them ahead of time, they hold up well when stored and briefly reheated.
Of course, they’re best when eaten minutes after they come out of the oven, while the tops are warm and the swirls are irresistible.
Just look at those pretty swirls. These muffins are like a marriage of cinnamon roll, muffin, pastry, and chocolate croissant — a hybrid of all the best breakfast things, minus the bacon.
Best part: holiday mornings shared with family and friends make the calories feel like they don’t count. Trust me.
Chocolate Cinnamon Babka Muffins
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Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk, warmed
- 1/2 cup + 2 teaspoons sugar
- 3 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
- egg wash
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
filling
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 12 ounces high-quality semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons sugar
Instructions
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Combine warm milk, 2 teaspoons sugar, and yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer. Let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes. With the paddle attachment, add 1 cup flour and mix until combined. Add the eggs, yolk, vanilla, salt, and the remaining 1/2 cup sugar; beat on medium-low until incorporated. Gradually add the remaining flour, about 1/2 cup at a time, beating on medium-low. When a sticky dough forms, add the butter pieces a few at a time and beat 4–5 minutes, until the dough is shiny, stringy, and soft.
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Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl, cover with a towel, and let rise in a warm spot for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until puffy.
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Turn the dough onto a floured surface. Whisk together the egg and heavy cream for the egg wash. Roll the dough into a large rectangle (about 12×20 inches) and brush the edges with egg wash. Gently spread the 6 tablespoons softened butter over the dough, then sprinkle with chopped chocolate, cinnamon, and sugar. From the bottom edge, roll the dough tightly into a log, like making cinnamon rolls.
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two muffin tins with softened butter.
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Slice the log into 20–24 equal rounds. Place each round in a muffin cup, cover with a towel, and let rise another 30–60 minutes. Brush the tops with remaining egg wash before baking.
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Bake 25–30 minutes, until the tops are golden and set. Cool slightly before removing from the tins and serve warm. These keep well once fully cooled in a resealable bag and can be briefly reheated before serving.
Notes
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Just look at those middles!