Chocolate Coffee Toffee Crunch Muffins - Handle the Heat
Filed Under: Chocolate | Dessert | Muffin

Chocolate Coffee Toffee Crunch Muffins

By Tessa Arias
  |  
May 23rd, 2018
5 from 23 votes
5 from 23 votes

Chocolate Coffee Toffee Crunch Muffins feature a mocha muffin base that's studded with chocolate chips and topped with a crunchy toffee streusel for the best combination of flavor and texture!

Yield: 12 to 15 muffins

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Tessa's Recipe Rundown...

Taste: These muffins have so much more flavor than almost all store-bought muffins I’ve ever tasted.
Texture: The muffins are soft with bits of melty chocolate chips throughout but the best part is definitely the crunchy toffee topping. It adds a whole new layer of texture to muffins!
Ease: Super easy.
Appearance: I love the contrast of the dark chocolate muffins with the light tan toffee topping.
Pros: Fun way to say and eat muffins.
Cons: None, though I may try to use a 50/50 ratio of whole wheat flour to white flour next time and see if it tastes good.
Would I make this again? Yes!

Don’t you just love the crazy fun name of these muffins? They’re almost as fun to say as they are to eat!

I was inspired by my best friend Ashley who posted a recipe for Toffee Coffee Chocolate Chip Blondies.

Chocolate Coffee Toffee Crunch Muffins feature a mocha muffin base that's studded with chocolate chips and topped with a crunchy toffee streusel for the best combination of flavor and texture!

The name is what caught my attention at first, but the flavor concept sounded too delicious not to try!

I’m happy to report that these muffins are not only moist and tender, but loaded with cocoa and coffee flavors. Plus that crunchy toffee topping is just to die for. So much better that most boring, bland, and dry grocery store muffins.

Chocolate Coffee Toffee Crunch Muffins feature a mocha muffin base that's studded with chocolate chips and topped with a crunchy toffee streusel for the best combination of flavor and texture!

I can’t even think about muffins without thinking about Jenna Maroney from 30 Rock and her Muffin Top song. Try not getting that stuck in your head all day long.

When I want to watch something light on TV I almost always stream one of the following: The Office, Parks & Rec, Friends, or 30 Rock. What’s your favorite comedy series to rewatch over and over?

How to Make The BEST Muffins

How to make muffins from scratch:

  1. Whisk together your dry ingredients.
  2. In a separate bowl, beat together your wet ingredients. Pour into the dry ingredients. Don’t overmix or you’ll have rubbery muffins. A few streaks of flour remaining is perfectly normal!
  3. Add your toppings or flavor variations.
  4. Divide among muffin tin, bake, and enjoy!

How to prevent muffins from sticking to the liners:

These are my favorite muffin liners that won’t stick. They’re usually sold at Target as well. If sticky liners are a common problem for you, check out this helpful blog post.

How to bake TALL muffins:

I recently experimented with the science of muffins and how to achieve beautiful, TALL muffins that look like they belong on the shelf of a fancy bakery. Check out my 3 tips for baking tall muffins here!

Hint: Chilling your muffin batter overnight makes for the BEST ever muffins!!

How to store muffins:

Muffins are best served the day they’re baked. If you have leftovers, store them for up to 1 day in an airtight container at room temperature. Refresh in a 300°F oven for 5 minutes or reheat in the microwave for 10 seconds.

For best results, freeze leftover muffins in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight at room temperature or reheat in the microwave for about 1 minute.

My Ultimate Muffin Cheatsheet:

If you want more muffin baking tips, plus tons of flavor variations, check out my Free Ultimate Muffin Cheatsheet:

More Muffin Recipes You’ll Love:

5 from 23 votes

How to make
Chocolate Coffee Toffee Crunch Muffins

Yield: 12 to 15 muffins
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Chocolate Coffee Toffee Crunch Muffins feature a mocha muffin base that's studded with chocolate chips and topped with a crunchy toffee streusel for the best combination of flavor and texture!

Ingredients

For the muffins:

  • 2 cups (254 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 2/3 cup (133 grams) packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup (43 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
  • 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder*
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (170 grams) semisweet chocolate chips

For the toffee crunch topping:

  • 1/4 cup (32 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup toffee bits (such as Heath brand or homemade, recipe linked in directions)
  • 1 tablespoon butter, at room temperature

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a muffin tin with paper muffin cups.

For the muffins:

  1. In a large bowl combine the flour, brown sugar, sifted cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  2. In a small bowl combine the melted butter, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. Pour the butter mixture into the flour mixture and stir until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Do not overmix.
  3. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

For the toffee crunch topping:

  1. In a small bowl combine the flour, sugar, and toffee bits. Cut the butter into the mixture using the back of a fork until it is coarse and crumbly. Sprinkle about a tablespoon of the mixture over each unbaked muffin.

  2. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes before removing the muffins to the rack to cool completely.

Recipe Notes

*This can be found at many grocery stores and gourmet food stores. If you can't find it you can also use dark roast instant coffee.
Course : Dessert
Cuisine : American

This post was originally published in 2013 and recently updated with weight measurements and new photos by Ashley McLaughlin Photography.

Tessa Arias
Author: Tessa Arias

I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)

Tessa Arias

About Tessa...

I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)

Find Tessa on  

Leave a Comment & Rating

Add a Review or Question

*Please select a rating to complete your comment.

Recipe Rating




  1. #
    Jennifer M — April 16, 2021 at 3:09 pm

    Forget my question on whether then can be frozen or not. I was looking for the notes after the recipe. I found it above. I have them in the oven now and can’t wait to try them!

    • #
      Tessa — April 20, 2021 at 9:45 am

      Yay! I hope you enjoyed your muffins 🙂

  2. #
    Jennifer — April 16, 2021 at 3:06 pm

    Can these be frozen?

  3. #
    BRIANNA NEWSOM — March 9, 2021 at 7:03 am

    Great Recipe! One of my favorites!

    • #
      Tessa — March 9, 2021 at 2:46 pm

      Wonderful to hear this!

  4. #
    Vered Carmel Dahbash — January 25, 2021 at 1:28 pm

    What do you use as a buttermilk? I put milk+vinegar..

    • #
      Tessa — January 25, 2021 at 2:14 pm

      I buy buttermilk from the dairy section at the grocery store! I don’t find buttermilk substitutes to yield the same results.

  5. #
    Vered carmel Dahbash — January 21, 2021 at 1:03 pm

    Wow,the most tasty muffins!!

  6. #
    Jen — January 13, 2021 at 11:46 am

    Hi! Can’t wait to try this recipe! Can these be frozen after completed?

    • #
      Tessa — January 14, 2021 at 12:50 pm

      Sure! Place cooled muffins on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Remove them to an airtight
      container and freeze for up to 3 months. More info in my Make Ahead Baking Guide!

  7. #
    Loveleen — January 3, 2021 at 9:26 am

    These came out delicious.. I used only 1 cup of buttermilk and added 1/2 cup of Greek yoghurt.. moist and divine.. two words to describe them!!

  8. #
    N. — November 16, 2020 at 6:30 am

    I would love to try these. Unfortunately I can’t see it because you have too much pop-up Crapola that is blocking the recipe.

  9. #
    Kristie — November 15, 2020 at 6:57 pm

    Could I use the new nestle mocha chips in this? I’m thinking, I should leave out the expresso powder if I do? What are your thoughts on this?

  10. #
    Jessica — October 1, 2020 at 10:51 am

    Hi Tessa, sorry to bother, is there’s any possibility that these muffins can be able into gluten free?
    Ps: love the recipes and the pictures

    • #
      Amanda — June 17, 2022 at 1:32 am

      I was wondering if these muffins have been done gluten free or not?
      Thank you!

  11. #
    Ceci — September 9, 2020 at 7:41 pm

    I made these muffins and drizzles dulce de leche on top and sprinkled extra toffee bits. They were a hit !

  12. #
    Somya — September 5, 2020 at 7:27 am

    how can we made it eggless?

  13. #
    Rougue — August 11, 2020 at 11:17 am

    These muffins are absolutely delicious. But I have a recommendation – the coffee flavor is very mild, so mild, that the muffins taste like dark chocolate rather than chocolate coffee flavoring. If you want to really taste the coffee, I would recommend tripling the instant espresso/instant coffee crystals. The second time I made these muffins, I did just that – 3 tablespoons of Instant Espresso (I used Medaglia D’Oro brand instant espresso) and it was just right – perfect chocolate to coffee balance. If you melt some dark chocolate and mix in a little bit of the espresso powder than drizzle it on top of each muffin, they are even better! BTW I also used Heath Toffee Bits for the topping & doubled the toffee amount, which turned out really good.

  14. #
    Maria B Rugolo — July 1, 2020 at 6:20 am

    The overnight refrigeration method for the lemon/poppy seed muffin, does that method apply to all muffin batter? I’m really looking forward to the chocolate/toffee muffin and was just wondering if that (and then I thought, hey, how about all muffins) would benefit from overnight refrigeration. Thank you Tessa for your awesome recipes. I look forward to joining a challenge one of these months!

    • #
      Tessa — July 1, 2020 at 10:19 am

      It should! 🙂

  15. #
    Garrett — June 28, 2020 at 6:03 pm

    Can you use fresh coffee grounds in this recipe? Does it have to be instant? Thank you!

  16. #
    Annette — June 24, 2020 at 2:23 pm

    I made these and gave them away before I got a picture of them… very decadent with all the flavors of coffee chocolate and heath bits … Delish! I did eat one before I delivered them to neighbors!

  17. #
    Suzanne — April 21, 2020 at 12:43 pm

    This looks so good! What a perfect treat to share at weekend brunch!

  18. #
    Vanessa — March 26, 2020 at 5:09 pm

    Excellent, made it with espresso as we have to watch the caffeine, but they were awesome!!! Family loved them

    • #
      Vanessa — March 26, 2020 at 5:25 pm

      Do they freeze well?

  19. #
    Sheryl — March 15, 2020 at 9:27 pm

    They look and sound delicious but are more a cupcake than a muffin. To me muffins are contain healthier ingredients such as oatmeal, shear or oat ran, fruit, nuts and less sugar.

  20. #
    Becki — March 3, 2020 at 9:52 am

    I’m planning on making this tonight and after having read through the comment to make sure I’m not being duplicitous…has anyone tried this as a “coffee cake” style and baked in a 9×13 pan? We have a staff meeting in the morning and this will hopefully make everyone happy to meet at 8 am. (yeah, right! 😉 )

  21. #
    Fauzia — January 3, 2020 at 3:52 pm

    I made this over the weekend and shared it with my cousins. We all loved it! The muffins weren’t overly sweet as you’d expect and wasn’t too heavy. I followed the recipe as is, the only thing was I wasn’t sure how much to fill the cups to get the “muffin top” so a lot of people did mistake them for cupcakes.

    I absolutely will be making this recipe again in the future!

  22. #
    santiago becerril……………………………… — December 29, 2019 at 6:01 pm

    hi there are a susstitut for butter milk

  23. #
    Jocelyn — December 6, 2019 at 12:16 pm

    Just looking to clarify… for the topping would you want the toffee bits with chocolate or the ones without? I would assume the ones without? Thanks!

    • #
      Tessa — December 6, 2019 at 4:32 pm

      You can do either! I like the chocolate ones 🙂

  24. #
    Sue — December 3, 2019 at 4:52 pm

    I made this exactly as written and they are bakery worthy. Thank you for such an awesome recipe!

  25. #
    Melissa — November 10, 2019 at 2:17 pm

    Could this be made into a loaf?

  26. #
    LeCase COFFEE — October 17, 2019 at 7:37 pm

    How amazing are these? I love the recipe you shared and I can’t wait to try them. Thank you so much, I really appreciated.

  27. #
    Kate — September 2, 2019 at 8:14 am

    I want to make these so bad today but it’s a holiday where I live and all the stores are closed, do you think I would be able to make the omitting the espresso powder?

    • #
      Tessa — September 2, 2019 at 9:50 am

      Of course! You just won’t get that coffee flavor.

  28. #
    Ankita nandwani — August 12, 2019 at 8:21 am

    Can I use something else apart from buttermilk

  29. #
    Sue — June 1, 2019 at 9:02 am

    I would love to actually see this recipe BUT the mobile version has an INSANE amount if ads that pop up. When you try to close them they are on top if other ads which causes you to accidentally click in THAT ad! Nope. Not wasting my time trying to avoid ads, wltgat yes you get PAID for when people click on them!! Nope. I’ll find another recipe. Your ad amount is ridiculous. Shame on you!!!

  30. #
    Judy — January 21, 2019 at 12:08 pm

    A pet peeve of mine is when people alter the recipe and then complain about the outcome…so, the toffee crunch part just seemed too sweet for me today. So, I did zero crumb topping, omitted the chocolate chips, and stirred in a cup of peanut butter chips instead. They are delicious! (See? No complaining!) I’m fighting off the urge to have a third…

  31. #
    Katrina — August 18, 2018 at 5:01 pm

    Oh. My. Gosh. These are amazing! I didn’t have buttermilk so I did the milk & vinegar trick. Worked great.

  32. #
    Robin — May 24, 2018 at 6:00 pm

    Can this recipe be made as regular brownies? What baking time would I use?

  33. #
    Amber — January 22, 2018 at 8:54 am

    These made way more than 12 muffins. Were you using a standard muffin tin? I doubled the recipe, and got 36 muffins out of these, so one batch for 24 would have been fine.

  34. #
    Marcy — August 17, 2017 at 7:18 pm

    These sound wonderful. I love the flavor of coffeee, but I can’t have caffeine though. Do you think I could use an instant decaf coffee? Or is espresso powder even more fine than regular instant coffee? Thanks.

  35. #
    D Clutter — January 5, 2017 at 1:21 pm

    I just made these exactly like the recipe except for adding about a cup of pecan chips. Came out fabulous! Made 12 muffins and small mini-loaf. Thanks!

  36. #
    Jennifer — April 6, 2016 at 9:03 am

    Is the espresso powder instant?

    • #
      Tessa — April 7, 2016 at 10:28 am

      Yes!

  37. #
    Shanta — March 28, 2016 at 8:27 am

    This looks amazing!! What is espresso powder? Brand name? I went to my local grocers and they don’t carry it.

    • #
      Tessa — March 28, 2016 at 8:50 am

      Sometimes it can be hard to find, but Walmart and Target both carry it near me! There’s King Arthur and Medaglia D’oro. Hope that helps!

  38. #
    Kristin H — March 24, 2016 at 12:11 pm

    The pictures alone made me want to try this muffin recipe. I love chocolate and toffee. These were delicious muffins! I followed the recipe except for adding the espresso powder, since I don’t drink coffee. These are a definite keeper! Thanks for the recipe!

    • #
      Tessa — March 24, 2016 at 3:31 pm

      Glad you made it work for you, Kristin!

  39. #
    Alaina — March 23, 2016 at 2:07 am

    I love muffins but haven’t made any in a while!! I think I may have to get back in the muffin groove and whip up a batch of these! I mean, toffee streusel, you can’t go wrong!! I can’t wait to try them!!

  40. #
    Gabriella — February 19, 2016 at 5:22 pm

    Can freshly brewed coffee be substituted for espresso powder? Can’t wait to try this recipe!

  41. #
    Rajshree — February 18, 2016 at 11:18 pm

    Substitute for egg or I can make without egg follows the recipe

  42. #
    Rajshree — February 18, 2016 at 11:16 pm

    Any substitute for egg or I can make without egg follows the recipe

  43. #
    Sally — October 12, 2013 at 11:25 am

    I was so excited when I saw this recipe it sounded amazing. So for a party three of us all made this recipe three different homes. They all turned out the same and all three of us were disappointed. Flavor was nothing what the name would lead you to believe it tastes like. :0( hope the next recipe I try of yours is better.

    • #
      Tessa — October 12, 2013 at 7:33 pm

      Hi Sally, I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy the recipe. I’m not sure what makes you say the flavor wasn’t like the name, there is plenty of each namesake ingredient in the recipe!

  44. #
    [email protected] — September 20, 2013 at 9:35 am

    These muffins look mouth-watering good! I can’t wait to try them this weekend.

  45. #
    christina (sisters running the kitchen) — September 13, 2013 at 10:24 am

    WOW. this look phenomenal! just pinned this recipe to try…thanks so much for sharing. I love toffee flavored things! Have you ever had the hersey nuggets? its like milk chocolate + almonds + toffee? so good!

  46. #
    Emily {Pink Tiger in the Kitchen} — September 13, 2013 at 10:10 am

    These muffins look amazing Tessa!! And they look like the perfect thing to use the buttermilk that is sitting in my fridge!!

  47. #
    Jocelyn @BruCrew Life — September 2, 2013 at 7:23 am

    I am loving every single thing you have in these muffins! I could definitely go for a few of these with my coffee this morning!

  48. #
    Carla — August 29, 2013 at 7:11 pm

    Love every word of this recipe title! Wish I had that basket in front of me for breakfast tomorrow.

  49. #
    Erin @ Dinners, Dishes and Desserts — August 29, 2013 at 7:04 pm

    Yum – I am a huge muffin person, and that toffee topping sounds incredible!

  50. #
    Alexandra @ Confessions of a Bright-Eyed Baker — August 29, 2013 at 9:17 am

    These sound so good…way to take the classic double chocolate muffin and make it new again! I haven’t had a chocolate muffin in ages, but they used to always be my favorite. Adding the coffee and toffee would make them even better, I’m sure!

  51. #
    Erin | The Emerging Foodie — August 27, 2013 at 8:18 pm

    Wow! Are these real life?! They look absolutely incredible. Pinning!

  52. #
    Des — August 26, 2013 at 10:17 pm

    Loving these! I am always looking for things I can make for breakfast that we can have around for a few days. Although, I’m guessing these wouldn’t stay around that long 🙂

  53. #
    Kiran @ KiranTarun.com — August 26, 2013 at 4:07 pm

    I would love to have this for breakfast. Everyday 🙂

  54. #
    Jessica @ A Kitchen Addiction — August 26, 2013 at 2:44 pm

    Love the flavors in these muffins! Wish I were snacking on one right now!

  55. #
    Angelyn @ Everyday Desserts — August 26, 2013 at 2:32 pm

    I love the name and I love the muffins – homemade muffins are one of my favorite things!!

  56. #
    Consuelo @ Honey & Figs — August 26, 2013 at 11:35 am

    These muffins look beyond amazing and the toffee crunch is making me swoon! And they’re beautiful too, I love pretty food haha

  57. #
    Robin — August 26, 2013 at 9:44 am

    These look amazing. I can’t wait to try them.

  58. #
    Ada ~ More Food, Please — August 26, 2013 at 8:44 am

    Chocolate, coffee, and toffee?? This muffin looks and sounds amazing! Will have to give this a try–thanks for sharing!

  59. #
    sally @ sallys baking addiction — August 26, 2013 at 7:48 am

    How amazing are these, Tessa? I love recipes that rhyme. It makes me smile. I’m so corny! But these look delicious and I wouldn’t mind jumping out of bed any morning for one!

  60. #
    Tieghan — August 26, 2013 at 5:01 am

    Yes, I love the name of this post. You are right, it just sounds good!! Plus, they looks delicious and any chocolate muffin is normally a winner in my eyes!

Join the Handle the Heat Community

Cookie Customization Chart
Do you want a more delicious life?
Instead of digging through cookbooks and magazines and searching the internet for amazing recipes, subscribe to Handle the Heat to receive new recipe posts delivered straight to your email inbox. You’ll get all the latest recipes, videos, kitchen tips and tricks AND my *free* Cookie Customization Guide (because I am the Cookie Queen)!
As Seen On....
NPR People Time Glamour Readers Digest The Huffington Post BuzzFeed