Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Muffins
I’m not somebody who bakes often. I typically need an “occasion” on the calendar to motivate my baking.
When my daughter told us she was running in the Big Apple Half Marathon, I decided this was one of those occasions to finally create a recipe for pumpkin chocolate chunk muffins.
My husband and I were planning to cheer her on, so I made a batch of these muffins and brought them with us.
I figured she could freeze them for a quick breakfast on her way to work.
The muffins were a big hit. They turned out to be hearty, chocolate-ly, and a welcome twist on pumpkin spice muffins.
Pumpkin Muffins with Chocolate Chunks
The idea for this pumpkin muffin recipe came from a whole wheat pumpkin spice bread I made last year. It was loaded with pumpkin puree.
Since then, I’ve been dreaming about modifying the recipe into muffins.
On a recent trip to Trader Joes, I noticed they had chocolate chunks available (not always the case), so I picked up a bag.
(Trader Joes chocolate chips are my favorite brand, so I was excited to use the chocolate chunks in a new recipe.)
Immediately, I thought they’d be a good addition to the cupcake sized pumpkin muffins I‘d been wanting to make.
That’s how I came up with this recipe for pumpkin muffins with chocolate chips.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Muffins Recipe
In this recipe, I used canned pumpkin, a combination of spices, and chocolate chunks. The other ingredients are standard baking additions you’d likely have in your pantry.
The most important tip for making tender, melt-in-your-mouth muffins is to separately mix the wet and dry ingredients and then bring them together just enough so that they are mixed.
Overmixing will result in a tough, dry muffin.
No Bueno.
Pumpkin Spice
I didn’t have any pumpkin spice around so I mixed cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger together.
This comes through as a gentle hint of spice in the muffin.
A Cupcake-Sized Muffin
I used my regular muffin tins and filled them ¾ of the way full. The result? A nice-sized muffin, not too small and not too big.
I dotted the top of the muffin with two or three chocolate chunks to give them that professional bakery look (Yes, I was feeling very baker-esque.)
Here’s the recipe – I hope you like it! They are delicious fresh out of the oven but also easy to freeze and pop out one at a time.
Perfect for Breakfast or a Snack
These are great as a stand-alone snack or pair them up with one of the following breakfast ideas:
- Egg in a Hole
- On the Go Eggs (5 Ways)
- or add these to your Mega List of Healthy Toddler Snack Ideas
Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Muffins
A pumpkin muffin recipe made with chocolate chunks. Subtly spicy and addictively delicious.
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree
- 1 cup canola or vegetable oil
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups dark chocolate chunks (such as Trader Joe's semi-sweet chocolate chunks)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Place paper cupcake liners in a regular size muffin pan or spray with non-stick spray.
- In a large bowl, mix together eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree and oil until smooth.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, including flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients (from step 4) to the wet ingredients (from step 3) slowly just until combined. Don't over mix.
- Fold in the chocolate chunks.
- Use a 1/4 cup measure to portion the batter into each muffin cup; fill about 3/4 of the way full.
- Bake for 17-18 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn onto a cooling rack.
Notes
Place a couple of chocolate chunks on top of each muffin for a "bakery" look.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 318Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 230mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 2gSugar: 26gProtein: 4g
