Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins (easy recipe)
A simple recipe to make repeatedly, these pumpkin muffins with chocolate chips have a soft, moist crumb with a wonderful crackly crust. They are easy to make, freeze beautifully, and you can use other add-ins, such as walnuts or pecans. A fantastic recipe made from scratch.
Servings 12 regular
Ingredients
- ¾ cup sunflower oil or other neutral vegetable oil
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree canned or homemade pumpkin puree
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- pinch of ground nutmeg
- pinch of ground allspice
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Butter or spray 12 regular muffin tins or line with paper cups.
- Add 2 eggs Add 2 eggs, one by one, beating until fully incorporated, but don’t overbeat.
- Sift 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, pinch of ground nutmeg and pinch of ground allspice.
- Add in 2 parts to the pumpkin mixture, integrating well but do not beat too much. I do it by hand with a spatula.
- Add ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract if using and stir with a spatula.
- Fill the paper liners up to ¾ of their capacity. But do not fill more than three quarters so they don’t overflow while baking.
- Bake about 25 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out dry.
- Let cool on a wire rack.
- Store covered at room temperature for two days and then refrigerate or freeze, covered or well wrapped. Warm lightly in the oven before eating.
Notes
Baking time: consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
Pumpkin puree: use canned or make homemade pumpkin puree. Please don't mistake it for pumpkin pie filling, which is a different product.
Sugar: brown sugar is my first choice because it's moist and has that caramel undertone that I love, especially with spices. But white sugar works if that's all you have.
Spices: I usually use my favorite combination of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice. Sometimes I add the smallest pinch of cloves. But use your favorite blend or a store-bought mix. As long as you like it, it's fine.
Oil: I use sunflower because it doesn't add extra flavor, and I want the pumpkin to shine. But in theory, you can use any type, even olive oil.
Chocolate: regular or mini chocolate chips or chunks, they all work.
Pans: I use regular-sized tins, but you can make mini pumpkin muffins (which will yield a larger quantity and require less baking time) or jumbo (which will yield fewer muffins and take longer to bake).
Filling the muffin pans: make sure you don't pass ¾ of their capacity. It's the easiest way to avoid overflow when baking them.
Add-ins: I love chocolate chips or chunks, but you can also add chopped nuts, raisins, and cranberries.
Freezing: Wrap in plastic and freeze for up to a month. I defrost them directly in a medium oven, but you can let them come to room temperature first.
