Tim Hortons chocolate chip muffins are one of my favorites. They’re simple to make at home, and this has become my go-to copycat recipe whenever a craving hits. These muffins come very close to the original, so I’m confident you’ll be pleased with the results.
Can’t get enough of Timmies? Try my other copycat recipes: Blueberry Muffins, Iced Capp, and French Vanilla.
🍫 About This Recipe
Some of my earliest memories are of going to Tim Hortons with my dad. Almost every weekend he ordered a medium coffee with two creams and two sugars, plus a chocolate chip muffin for us to share. I loved spreading a little butter on each bite.
I started making these at home to avoid eating out, and I was surprised at how close they taste to the originals. My dad tried a batch and immediately asked me to bake more to take home.
Using oil or butter
There’s always debate about oil versus butter in muffins. For this recipe I recommend butter—it yields a richer flavor that more closely matches the Tim Hortons version. In my tests, my family preferred the butter-based muffins for taste and texture.
🧈 Ingredients
The ingredient list is straightforward. The original notes referenced buttermilk as “milk” by mistake—use buttermilk for a moister crumb. If you don’t have buttermilk, stir 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice into 1 cup of milk and let it sit for a few minutes.
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Butter (unsalted, melted)
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Buttermilk (or milk + 1 tbsp vinegar)
- Vanilla extract
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
🔪 Instructions
STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 425°F and prepare a 12-cup muffin pan. Grease the cups or line with paper liners.
STEP 2: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the chocolate chips so they’re evenly distributed.
STEP 3: In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter, sugar, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Pour this wet mixture into the dry ingredients and gently fold just until combined—don’t overmix. A few lumps in the batter are fine.
STEP 4: Divide the batter evenly among the 12 cups, filling slightly above the rim if you want taller tops. Be gentle when filling to avoid deflating the batter. Sprinkle extra chocolate chips on top.
STEP 5: Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and bake 12–15 more minutes. Test with a toothpick: some crumbs are okay, but there should be no wet batter. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5–10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
Store muffins in the refrigerator for up to one week or keep them at room temperature for about five days. Chilled muffins are great—cold chocolate chips develop a pleasant crunch.
📋 Recipe
Tim Hortons Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- ½ cup butter (unsalted, melted)
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 425°F and prepare a 12-cup muffin pan with non-stick spray or paper liners.
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Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in chocolate chips.
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Whisk melted butter, sugar, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla in a separate bowl. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and fold gently until just combined—some lumps are fine.
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Spoon batter into the 12 cups and top with extra chocolate chips if desired.
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Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to 375°F and bake 12–15 minutes more, until a toothpick shows no wet batter. Cool in the pan 5–10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Store in the fridge up to one week or at room temperature up to five days.
Notes
Nutrition
🍽 Looking for more recipes?
-
Homemade Timbits
-
Copycat Tim Hortons Chicken Noodle Soup
-
Tim Hortons French Vanilla
-
Tim Hortons Peanut Butter Cookies
