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There’s something undeniably fun about mini muffins, especially when chocolate chips are involved. These bite-size muffins were inspired by the little packaged chocolate chip muffins that are super popular in school lunches, but with the flavor and texture you expect from homemade.

Verdict: Kids loved these.

Today’s mini muffins are wonderfully soft and moist, with plenty of mini chocolate chips in every bite. And while they aren’t quite as ultra-soft and cakey as the packaged variety, my team and I found that using oil gets them pretty close… and helps them stay moist for longer, too!

Best of all, you don’t need a mixer because you can whisk the batter by hand. The mini chocolate chip muffins also freeze and thaw beautifully, so you can stash a batch in the freezer and have homemade mini muffins ready whenever you need them.

Here’s Why You’ll Love These Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins

• Soft, moist, and perfectly bite-size
• Plenty of mini chocolate chips in every muffin
• Quick and easy to make
• No mixer required
• Made with simple, everyday ingredients
• Freeze and thaw beautifully
• Perfect for lunchboxes, after-school snacks, and back-to-school season

Key Ingredients You Need & Why

I adapted the recipe from these quick & easy banana muffins, leaving out the banana (obviously!) and adding in some Greek yogurt, milk, and adjusting the leavening.

You don’t need anything unusual for these mini chocolate chip muffins, but a few ingredients are especially important for achieving their soft, moist texture.

1. Greek Yogurt: Greek yogurt adds moisture and richness without thinning out the batter too much. I use plain Greek yogurt here, and it helps give the muffins a wonderfully soft and tender crumb.
2. Butter or Oil: You can make these muffins with either melted butter or oil. Melted butter gives the muffins a little more buttery flavor, while oil produces a slightly softer muffin that stays moist for longer. If you’re using oil, avocado oil is my top choice because of its neutral flavor.
3. Whole Milk: Milk provides additional moisture and helps create a soft, tender texture. Whole milk works best, but lower-fat or nondairy milks work in a pinch.
4. Mini Chocolate Chips: Mini chocolate chips are ideal for mini muffins because you get lots of little pockets of chocolate throughout every bite. Regular-size chocolate chips are simply a little too large for such tiny muffins.
5. A Touch of Cinnamon: Just 1/4 teaspoon adds a subtle background flavor. You won’t necessarily identify the flavor as cinnamon, but it makes the muffins taste a little more special!

Do you need a flourless version? Here’s a recipe for baked chocolate chip oatmeal cups.

Butter vs. Oil in These Mini Muffins

I tested these mini muffins with both melted butter and oil, and you can use either.

For the softest muffins that stay moist the longest, use oil. This is helpful if you’re making the muffins ahead for school lunches throughout the week. I like avocado oil because it has a mild, neutral flavor, but another neutral-tasting oil works, too.

If you prefer the flavor of butter, use 6 Tablespoons (85g) of melted and slightly cooled butter instead. The muffins are still wonderfully soft and moist, with a little more buttery flavor.

There’s no wrong choice here… it simply depends on what you value most: butter for flavor, or oil for longer-lasting moisture!

How to Make Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins

Good news: you don’t need a mixer for these! The batter comes together quickly with a couple bowls and a whisk.

Whisk together the dry ingredients, then whisk together the wet ingredients. Then gently combine them both just until combined. Fold in the mini chocolate chips, being careful not to over-mix the batter.

Success Tip: Don’t over-mix. Like most muffin batters, this batter is happiest when you mix it only until everything is combined. Over-mixing can leave you with a denser, tougher muffin.

Spoon the batter into a greased or lined mini muffin pan and bake.

How to Freeze the Mini Muffins

Once the mini chocolate chip muffins have cooled completely, you can freeze them in a freezer-friendly container or bag. You can thaw however many you need at room temperature.

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Description

Soft and moist mini chocolate chip muffins made with Greek yogurt and plenty of mini chocolate chips. These easy, no-mixer muffins freeze beautifully and are perfect for lunchboxes, after-school snacks, and busy mornings!

• 1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
• 1 and 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup (120g) plain Greek yogurt (nonfat or 2%), at room temperature
• 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, melted & slightly cooled, or avocado oil
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (120g/ml) whole milk, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (128g) mini chocolate chips

Cook Mode

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1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Spray a 24-count mini muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with mini muffin liners. If using liners, I recommend lightly spraying them with nonstick spray. This recipe yields about 32 mini muffins, so prepare a second mini muffin pan in the same manner or bake in batches, keeping any leftover batter at room temperature while the first batch bakes.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the yogurt, melted butter or oil, and sugar together. Add the egg and vanilla, and whisk until combined. Finally, whisk in the milk.
4. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and fold together just until combined. Do not over-mix. Gently fold in the mini chocolate chips. The batter will be slightly thick. Some small lumps are OK. Again, avoid over-mixing.
5. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. The muffins will still look fairly pale on top. Do not over-bake.
6. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to continue cooling.
7. Cover leftover muffins tightly and store at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. If enjoying straight from the refrigerator, warm them in the microwave for a few seconds to soften them up, as they can taste a bit dense when cold.

Notes

1. Freezing Instructions: For longer storage, freeze the cooled muffins in a freezer-friendly container or bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
2. Special Tools (affiliate links): 24-count Mini Muffin Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Silicone Spatulas
3. Greek Yogurt: I recommend plain nonfat or 2% Greek yogurt. I have not tested this recipe with regular (non-Greek) yogurt, though I’m sure it would be fine. Sour cream works in place of yogurt if needed.
4. Butter or Oil: You can use either melted butter or a neutral-tasting oil in this recipe. Butter provides more flavor, while oil produces slightly softer muffins that stay moist for longer. We prefer avocado oil, but vegetable oil or canola oil works, too.
5. Milk: Whole milk produces the best flavor and texture. In a pinch, you can use lower-fat or nondairy milk instead.
6. Why Are All of the Cold Ingredients at Room Temperature? When ingredients are at room temperature, they combine more easily and evenly. This helps produce a uniform batter and consistent texture throughout the muffins.

About the Author

Sally McKenney

Sally McKenney is a baker, food photographer, and New York Times best-selling author. Her kitchen-tested recipes and step-by-step tutorials have given millions of readers the knowledge and confidence to bake from scratch. Sally’s work has been featured on TODAY, Good Morning America, Taste of Home, People, and more.

“European storytelling has never been in greater demand,” said Spotnitz. “Audiences around the world are looking for distinctive voices and stories that reflect different cultures and perspectives, and European writers are increasingly creating work that travels internationally. Script Engine is important because it doesn’t just help writers develop their craft, it introduces them to a collaborative way of working that empowers writers to do their best work. [The program] gives mid-level writers the confidence, skills and professional mindset to build sustainable international careers.”

The writers for the 2026 program include France’s Tolula Dada (Gangs of London, Grantchester), Justine Kim Gautier (Cat’s Eyes, Lucky Luke), Storm Sigal-Battesti (Off Season, Carême); Germany’s Tunde Aladese (Transatlantic, Shuga), Stefanie Ren (A Thin Line, Nicht tot zu kriegen), and Ben Braeunlich (Tatort, Professor T.); Italy’s Tommaso Matano (Curon, Survivors), Emanuele Mochi (Zio Gianni), Simona Nobile (5 minuti prima); and Spain’s Jesica Aran (Campamento Newton, Bandidos), Lidia Fraga (Auga Seca, Montecristo) and Miguel Mayorga Moscoso.

The four-month program includes a series workshops, masterclasses and networking opportunities led by HBO Max executives and industry experts. During the program, writers will also benefit from the expertise of HBO Max market advisors for their local territories. The curriculum was developed together with the Series Mania Institute.

The initiative reflects HBO Max’s move to integrate its originals strategy, with both U.S. and international programming teams grouped together under HBO Max head of original programming Sarah Aubrey. HBO Max completed its European rollout this year, launching in several major territories, including Germany, France, Italy and the U.K.. %!s()

This as-told-to interview is based on a conversation with Linda Barton, 55, who lives in Texas with her husband and works in criminal justice for the courts. They moved their three living parents into tiny homes in their yard to afford their care and manage their full-time work schedules. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

I was clueless and in my 40s when this journey began. I think most people are like me. I'm always throwing out ideas to people to help them navigate these years of their lives.

My parents were older when they had me, and I'm 18 and 16 years younger than my older brothers, both of whom died by the time I was 20. My dad died when I was 30, and they were married for 52 years. My mom worked in accounting, and my dad was a truck driver and construction worker.

Eight years after he died, my mom remarried. That was about 17 years ago; she was 75, and he was 73. She was very active in her 60s and 70s, working at a local state prison as a grievance clerk and a corrections officer. My stepfather had been in recovery from a massive stroke when they met, but they were both active into their 80s.

At 85, my mom started to have AFib problems.

She already had a heart stent. She got a pacemaker, and things went downhill from there. She had a collapsed lung as well.

They realized they couldn't take care of themselves anymore. They wanted to stay at their home, but they lived 17 miles in the opposite direction from my job, which is an hour away. It was wearing me out going back and forth to check on them.

I work in criminal justice for the courts. My husband is a superintendent in the commercial HVAC industry, managing multiple job sites. And he doesn't have a set schedule.

We started talking about tiny homes.

I didn't fully understand how much it would cost to do the whole setup. We were seeing some as high as $130,000. My parents had Social Security and small retirements, but they didn't have the money to pay that sort of mortgage.

We found a place that does portable buildings that are already converted to tiny homes inside, and they were within what they could afford for their monthly payments. We own a house on eight acres, so we have the space. My husband is handy and was able to set up a lot of their utilities himself, including laying the water lines, installing the electricity, and building the driveway.

Getting the permit and installing a new electrical line costs around $2,000. We got a heavy discount on installing a septic system because we have a friend who does that professionally. We suspect the setup would've cost upward of $20,000 if we hadn't done a lot of it ourselves, which halved the price. My parents put a $5,000 down payment on the house, which we bought for $37,000. They pay a little over $600 a month. We did install a ramp on their home, which wasn't too expensive.

A year later, we got another tiny house for my father-in-law. Shortly before, my father-in-law started having health issues. We found him on the floor a few times, and he was 40 miles away.

We went back to the same place and bought another home for $43,000, and we paid the down payment. We're glad we moved the three of them in when we did because they're not able to live alone anymore. My mom has dementia and is in hospice, but for a while, my parents and father-in-law had higher functioning.

Navigating their healthcare has been a nightmare.

My mom still knows my stepdad and me and others around her, but she's not capable of doing anything more than what you would expect of a child. My stepfather acts like he's 6 years old. He can turn on the TV and tell you what he wants, but he doesn't make meals or do other errands. My father-in-law is like a 13-year-old who wants to live life and do all the fun stuff, but he doesn't want to do anything that comes with it, like doing laundry or taking care of his vehicle.

We started out with one caregiver through the VA, because my stepfather is a veteran, but did not serve during wartime and is only 10% disabled. His benefits are therefore more limited, and the maximum caregiver assistance that he can get is 20 hours a week. My mom gets no benefits through the VA.

Eventually, we added another caregiver in the evening. As my mom got progressively worse, we hired somebody to come in the mornings to get her going. Medicare does not pay for care providers, which a lot of people don't realize. Medicaid will pay for people to come in, but my parents don't get Medicaid, at least not yet. I've been researching getting Medicaid to come help pay for a caregiver, but there is a two to three-year waiting list. I wish I had known that earlier.

We also now pay for a third caregiver for my father-in-law, coming two or three days a week, to help clean his house and do simple tasks.

We're hanging in there as long as we can.

These are our parents, and we do what needs to be done to take care of them. Still, there's absolutely no regard in the medical system for the fact that we have jobs. I'll get 15 calls in a day, and thankfully, I work a job where I can sometimes stop and answer them most of the time. A lot of people can't. Then, you can never reach them when you call back. It's like phone tag.

My husband and I have a decent income. We live in a rural area, and we're blessed because our income is good and probably higher than the average out here. I have a pension from my job, which I can get starting in two years, and he has a 401(k), but we both waited too long to start planning for a situation like this.

We're at a crossroads where we have to choose between putting money into my retirement or paying for my parents' caregivers. If we don't pay for caregivers, we end up sacrificing work when they need something. It's a constant balancing act for us between our finances, helping them, and making sure we still have money when we're older.

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Noah Sheidlower

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Noah Sheidlower is a senior economy reporter with Business Insider. He covers retirement, aging, age tech, and employment trends.Noah reported a monthslong, award-winning series called 80 Over 80 about what working at 80 and older looks like. The 300-interview series includes over a dozen features and chronicles the lives of people like an 81-year-old Home Depot worker battling heart failure, a 93-year-old woman searching for a job, and an 85-year-old bus driver who died at work.In 2024, Noah led a 17-story retirement series on the regrets older Americans have about their lives. He has also reported on how Americans have navigated unemployment, what compels Americans to move, and how mass deportations could impact the economy. He has appeared on SiriusXM Business Radio, Vox, and CBS News to discuss his reporting.Noah received his Bachelor's in Sociology and English from Columbia University. Noah has covered the restaurant industry, transportation, retail, and markets for CNBC, NBC News, CNN, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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