Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins are full of fall spice and everything nice. Soft, fluffy and chock-full of dark chocolate chips, these bakery-style muffins are made for pumpkin addicts.

Ah, Daylight Saving Time, the dreaded time of year when turning our clocks back one hour ruins the next 5 months. It’s dark when we wake up, dark when we get off work and dark when we go to sleep. Seriously, going back 60 minutes might as well be 600 years. Sure, the 15th century lacked lightbulbs, but at least nobody was forced to adjust their clock at 2 a.m. on a Sunday. Congress can keep their extra hour of sleep, I’d rather wake up during the Renaissance. It’s a perfect time in history: the Middle Ages are over, Bubonic Plague is long gone and being fat and pale is a sign of nobility instead of a sign that I’m lazy and never go outside.

It sounds like a great era to be alive, that’s if you don’t count the beheadings. Decapitation is a quick way to lose 10 pounds but I need to lose weight around the waist not above the shoulders. I should worry less about turning my clock back and more about turning my scale back. To be clear, I should but I wont. Besides, I’m too distracted by freshly-baked pumpkin muffins to be counting calories. Instead, I’ll count how many muffins I can eat in one sitting.

The bright side of binge eating is the more I weigh, the harder it will be for kidnappers to lift me into the trunk of their car. And if I’m too fat to be abducted, that’s saving my husband at least $20 in ransom money. It’s a calculated risk. Literally, if it costs about $5 to make 12 muffins but costs $20 to free me from bad guys, I’m actually saving my family $15 by eating my weight in pumpkin chocolate chips.

Luckily, you don’t need basic math in order to make a batch of Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins. You don’t even need a mixer, only a muffin pan, some pantry staples and a can of pumpkin puree. It’s a simple recipe to welcome the changing seasons, changing clocks and changing pant sizes.

Before sharing the recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins, here are a few tips and tricks to help you out:

If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice make your own concoction by combining equal amounts of ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground cloves and ground allspice. Store excess in a sealed container at room temperature.

This recipe was tested with canned pumpkin puree but fresh puree would be a great alternative. Do not substitute pumpkin pie filling for pumpkin puree or your muffins will be overly sweetened.

If you want soft, moist muffins then always use the spoon and level method to measure flour. Scooping flour is a no-no because that technique overpacks flour into the measuring cup.

Above all, avoid overmixing and overbaking because they lead to dry, dense muffins.

For bakery style muffins, bake at an initial temperature of 425 degrees for the first 5 minutes then reduce heat to 350 degrees for the duration.

Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days or up to a week in the refrigerator.

Yes, you can freeze muffins in an airtight container or freezer bag up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then bring muffins to room temperature before enjoying.

I hope you enjoy this recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins. Please leave a comment and rating at the bottom of this blog when you try it for yourself. And, while you’re at it, sign up for my weekly Recipe Newsletter so you never miss a tempting recipe.

Finally, if you love pumpkin-flavored everything check out this recipe for Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Bars. Smooth, creamy and warmly spiced, the marbled fall-themed filling sits atop a buttery graham cracker crust sliced into bars for a bite-size indulgence.