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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 Create Bakery Style Muffins
Bakery style muffins are known for their domed tops. Plus who doesn’t love them? I used a few techniques to help “lift” these muffins so they would have domed tops.
1. THE REST PERIOD
Let the batter rest for 15 minutes after it’s mixed and before you scoop it into the muffin pan. During the resting period, starch molecules in the flour are absorbing the liquid in the batter, causing them to swell and giving the batter a thicker consistency (ref the kitchen whisper). Our 15 minute rest is just a quick rest.
2. BAKE AT HIGH TEMPERATURE INITIALLY
Bake the muffins at a high temperature (425ºF) initially then lower to 350ºF. Starting the muffins off at a higher temperature causes the batter to rise rapidly, producing a domed shape.
3. FILL THEM TO THE TOP
Fill your muffin liners to the top with batter. Yes, this goes against everything you’re heard but it’s important in helping the muffin gain that height.
4. FILL EVERY OTHER MUFFIN CUP
This tip has been a game changer! For bakery style muffin tops, line a 12 count muffin pan with 6 muffins liners, meaning you’ll only fill every other muffin well with batter. Filling every other cup allows the muffins to spread and dome without running into each other. This technique also encourages the muffins to brown, creating a golden muffin top.
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.
How to Properly Measure Flour
The most accurate way to measure flour is to use a kitchen scale, weighing it in grams.
If you don’t have a kitchen scale, follow this method.
- Aerate the flour with a whisk or spoon. Flour becomes heavy and compact as it sits. Aerating is the same as fluffing the flour, but not the same as sifting it. Do not sift the flour unless the recipe specifically calls for it.
- Use a spoon to sprinkle the flour into the measuring cup. Do not tap the cup against the counter, as this will compact the flour.
- Use the back of a butter knife to level off the excess.
More Pumpkin Recipes to Try
If you enjoy using pumpkin in your desserts, give these recipes a whirl.
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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffin Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour, 270 grams
- 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.
- For bakery style muffin tops, line a 12 count muffin pan with 6 muffins liners, meaning you’ll only fill every other muffin well with batter. Filling every other well allows the muffins to spread and dome without running into each other.
- 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. Repeat with the remaining batter, making sure to bump the temperature back up to 425ºF.
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.)
Wow! This recipe and your tips made the best muffin!! I have been searching for years for muffins this beautiful AND tasty!
Love these! Pumpkin…my favorite.
So easy and delicious! My family devoured these and I’ve already made them 2x in the week! Thank you! Adding to our regular rotation!
Fabulous muffins, according to my neighbours. I make lots of cakes, but never eat them oddly so if I try something new, they are my official tasters.
I put a bit of mixed spice in as I didnt have any nutmeg a bit more ginger. Very popular, lovely and soft and a great taste. For me easy to make, a great recipe thanks.
They smell so good and look beautiful. There just out the oven so I’ll have to wait until they cool down but if they taste like smell it’s gonna be so good ☺️
Can I use gluten free baking flour instead? I use bobs red mills 1 to 1 baking flour?
I’ve made this recipe with both regular and gluten free flour with awesome results on multiple occasions. I recommend King Arthur’s Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour. Use it as a one for one substitute for regular flour.
Delicious! I pulled my first batch out a minute sooner than the minimum time,
and the second batch a minute sooner than the previous and both turned out perfectly moist and fluffy (I live in Ozarks). I subbed both the white and brown sugars for Swerve granular and Truvia brown sugar blend and it tasted awesome!