We adore a sweet and decadent chocolate chip muffin, especially when homemade using simple ingredients. This muffin recipe is everything a chocolate-studded muffin should be: light, moist, and very, very soft, with a gentle hint of vanilla bean. They are excellent enjoyed straight from the oven while the chocolate is molten and melty, paired with a pot of our delicious chocolate herbal tea.

Here's why you'll adore this classic chocolate chip muffin recipe:

1. Instead of using chocolate chips, we find roughly chopped chocolate introduces chunks of varying sizes that are distributed beautifully throughout the muffins. Each bite brings a lovely surprise, from tiny flecks to oozy, melted chocolate pools of deliciousness. 
2. This chocolate muffin recipe couldn't be simpler. The batter comes together in minutes using only one bowl, meaning you can whip them up on busy mornings or when you've only got half an hour up your sleeve. 
3. The muffin batter is thick, which is ideal for holding extra add-ins (see our ideas below). The thicker the batter, the less likely the add-ins will sink to the bottom when baking. 
4. We've included dairy-free options for the milk and yoghurt, and you could switch out the regular flour for wholemeal or all-purpose gluten-free if you want to. 
5. This recipe makes 8 regular-sized muffins or 16 mini muffins. However, you could easily double the recipe if you need to feed a crowd. The muffins also freeze well. 

How to elevate your chocolate chip muffins to the next level:

• Add 1 tsp cinnamon or 1/4 tsp cardamom for a gentle spice hum.
• Chocolate and raspberries make for a truly harmonious pairing. Reduce the amount of chocolate used by half, then add 1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries for a fruit-studded muffin. 
• Before baking, top each muffin with a sprinkle of coarse sugar for a sweet sparkly crunch.
• You could brown the butter first to perfume the batter with a toasty touch.
• Sprinkle each muffin with toasted coconut or nuts before baking. You could also add 1/2 cup to the batter for a crunchy surprise. 

Okay, time to pop your oven on! Here's our classic chocolate chip muffin recipe:

1 free range egg

1/3 cup melted butter or coconut oil

1/2 cup milk or plant based milk

3 tbsp yoghurt or coconut cream

2/3 cup sugar (most kinds work here)

2 tsp pure vanilla bean extract

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 cups spelt flour or regular flour

1 cup roughly chopped Tony's milk chocolate

Preheat the oven to 180°C, and grease a regular sized muffin tin.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all ingredients except for the flour and chocolate.

Sift in the flour, and gently fold until the batter is combined, being careful not to over-mix.

Lastly, fold in the chocolate. 

Divide the mixture between 8 muffin tins, filling each three-quarters full.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the middle of a muffin.

Allow to cool for about 5 minutes in the tins before carefully turning out onto a cooling rack.

Makes 8 regular-sized muffins, or 16 mini muffins.