Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Rich semi-sweet chocolate chips are nestled inside these soft, tender bakery-style pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. Everyone in your household will gobble these up, guaranteed.
For me, a big part of the fun of baking is playing around with new flavor combinations. If you haven’t experimented with pairing pumpkin and chocolate, trust me, you should.
The creaminess and richness of the chocolate chips highlights the warm spices in these muffins. This means the pumpkin-spiced crumb is 100% a fall baking triumph with all the appeal of a chocolate chip muffin.
Get ready for a family fave this season. Pro tip? Make a double batch – you’re gonna need ’em.
What Makes These the Best Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins?
- Bakery-style tops. Domed and tall, these large muffins mean there’s just more muffin to enjoy.
- Fall flavor with the fun of chocolate. Let’s face it, kiddos love anything with a chocolate chip in it.
- Good and good for you. This recipe calls for an entire can of pure pumpkin. They are full of fiber, Vitamin C, and beta carotene.
Recipe Ingredients
All you will need to make these pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. Go ahead: get your Fall baking on.
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Spices – Cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger
- Pumpkin puree – 100% pure pumpkin
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar
- Vegetable oil
- Eggs – I recommend letting them come to room temperature first as they will incorporate into your muffin batter more easily this way.
- Chocolate chips – I used semi-sweet.
How to Make Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Much like a quick bread, these pumpkin muffins come together effortlessly.
Combine dry ingredients. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger in a large bowl and set aside.
Mix wet ingredients. In a separate bowl use a spatula or hand mixer to combine the pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vegetable oil, and eggs.
Gradually incorporate. Add the dry ingredients and 1 cup chocolate chips to the wet ingredients until combined. Reserve 1/2 cup of chocolate chips for later. The batter will be very thick!
Rest while preheating. Cover the bowl with a towel and allow the batter to rest for 15 minutes. During this time, preheat your oven to 425ºF.
Line muffin pan. You will need a pan for 12 muffins.
Fill the liners to the top. Yes – to the top! You might think there is no way to fit all the batter in 12 liners, but soldier on until they are very full. Use a butter knife to smooth out the tops.
Add chocolate chips. Press the remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips onto the tops of the muffins. Add sanding sugar if desired.
Bake then reduce heat. These bake for 7 minutes at 425ºF. Then, keeping the muffins in the oven, turn the temperature down to 350ºF and bake for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan.
Tips and Mix-In Ideas
Here are some easy tips to help you make the best pumpkin chocolate chip muffins ever:
- Rest the batter. Just like The Kitchen Whisperer shares, bakery-style tops depend on this rest time.
- Reduce oven temperature. Bake the muffins at 425º for 7 minutes then lower oven to 350º. Baking the muffins this way causes the batter to rise rapidly.
- Fill to the top. Be sure to fill your muffin liners to the very top with batter and smooth with a butter knife.
- Add nuts. A half cup of very chopped walnuts or pecans add crunch to these pumpkin muffins.
How to Store Homemade Pumpkin Muffins
This recipe makes a dozen muffins, so you are bound to have a few for enjoying over the following days.
Once cooled, these muffins can be stored in a ziplock bag or airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days. You can extend their shelf life to 5 days by storing them in the fridge.
Can I Freeze These?
These pumpkin muffins freeze beautifully and here’s how:
Wrap any leftover muffins individually in plastic wrap and then pop into a freezer safe ziplock bag or airtight container. Muffins can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter for a few hours before serving.
More Pumpkin Recipes to Try
If you enjoy using pumpkin in your desserts, give these recipes a whirl.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- 1 15 oz can 100% pure pumpkin puree
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs, large
- 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Stir with a spoon and set aside.
- In a larger mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vegetable oil, and eggs. Stir to combine with a spatula or mixer on low for 30 seconds.
- Gradually mix in the dry ingredients and 1 cup chocolate chips, mixing by hand or with a mixer until just combined. Batter will be thick!
- Cover the bowl with a towel and allow the batter to rest for 15 minutes. During this time, preheat the oven to 425ºF.
- Line a muffin pan with 12 muffin liners. Fill the liners to the top with batter. Yes – to the top! You might think there is no way to fit all the batter in 12 liners, but keep dividing the batter among the cups and fill the liners FULL! Use a butter knife to smooth the tops of the muffins if lumpy. Press the remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips onto the tops of the muffins. Add sanding sugar if desired.
- Bake for 7 minutes at 425ºF, then, keeping the muffins in the oven, turn the temperature down to 350ºF and bake for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan.
Wonderful muffins! The recipe was easy to follow and turned out perfectly. I added mini chocolate chips to the top and loved that little crunch the sanding sugar added. (I made this recipe for the October 2022 Challenge.)