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Nutella chocolate chip muffins with tall domed tops and a gooey Nutella center

Nutella Chocolate Chip Muffins

Bakery-style vanilla-hazelnut muffins with tall, golden domed tops, chocolate chips throughout, and soft, glossy Nutella centers that stay visibly gooey while the muffins are still slightly warm. Freezing the Nutella into firm portions before baking is the step that keeps it a defined molten center instead of dissolving into the batter, the same logic behind the stuffed cookies in this collection. A high-heat oven start pushes the tops into a tall dome, and pulling the muffins once the crumb near the edge tests done, rather than through the center, is what keeps the Nutella soft rather than dried out.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 22 minutes
Total Time 47 minutes
Servings: 12
Course: Baking, Muffins
Cuisine: American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Nutella Centers
  • 180 g Nutella divided into 12 portions of about 15 g each
For the Muffin Batter
  • 280 g all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp fine salt
  • 115 g unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly
  • 150 g granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 180 g sour cream or full-fat Greek yogurt room temperature
  • 120 ml whole milk room temperature
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 150 g semi-sweet chocolate chips plus 30–40 g extra for topping if desired

Method
 

Prepare the Nutella Centers
  1. Line a small plate or tray with parchment and spoon 12 small mounds of Nutella, about 15 g each, onto it. Freeze for 15 to 20 minutes, until firm enough to handle. This step is critical; unchilled Nutella disappears into the batter instead of staying as a defined, gooey center.
Prepare the Oven and Pan
  1. Heat the oven to 220°C / 425°F and line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Tulip or sturdy liners give a more bakery-style shape and better height; fill the cups almost full later for large, domed tops.
Mix the Dry Ingredients
  1. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl, mixing thoroughly so the leavening distributes evenly.
Mix the Wet Ingredients
  1. Whisk together the melted butter and sugar in a large bowl until glossy and combined, then add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each. Whisk in the sour cream, milk, and vanilla until smooth, making sure the mixture is fully combined and lump-free before adding the dry ingredients.
Make the Batter
  1. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold gently with a spatula just until a few flour streaks remain. Add the chocolate chips and fold again just until no dry flour remains. Don't overmix; the batter should be thick and scoopable, since overmixing toughens the crumb and reduces the rise.
Fill and Add the Centers
  1. Divide about half the batter among the 12 muffin cups, then press one frozen Nutella portion into the center of each. Cover with the remaining batter so the Nutella is fully enclosed, filling each cup about 85 to 90% full. Press a few extra chocolate chips lightly onto the tops if desired. Keep the Nutella centered and fully covered; exposed Nutella on top can burn or leak excessively during baking.
Bake
  1. Bake at 220°C / 425°F for 5 minutes, then, without opening the oven, reduce the temperature to 190°C / 375°F and continue baking for 13 to 17 minutes, until the tops are high, domed, and golden, the edges are set, and a tester inserted into the crumb near the side comes out with a few moist crumbs rather than wet batter. Don't test directly through the Nutella center, or the muffin will look underdone even when it's fully baked. By thermometer, the crumb away from the center should read about 96–98°C / 205–208°F.
Cool
  1. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a rack. For the best gooey center, serve slightly warm after 20 to 30 minutes of cooling; if fully cooled, the Nutella firms up but softens again with a brief rewarm.

Notes

Freezing the Nutella portions before baking is the single most important technical step here; unfrozen Nutella spreads into the surrounding batter rather than staying a distinct, molten pocket.
Keeping the butter, eggs, sour cream, and milk close to room temperature helps the batter mix smoothly and rise more evenly across all 12 muffins.
Sour cream gives the most tender, bakery-style crumb. Greek yogurt works as a substitute, though the crumb comes out slightly less rich.
Testing doneness away from the Nutella center matters, since a tester through the center will look wet and underdone even once the surrounding crumb is fully baked.