Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins are loaded with spices and gooey chocolate chips for a super easy 30 minute recipe perfect for breakfast or a sweet snack!
Yield:
12 muffins
Prep Time:15minutes
Cook:20minutes
Tessa's Recipe Rundown...
Taste: I love the combination of pumpkin spice + chocolate! Texture: Tender, fluffy, and gooey with chocolate. Ease: Ridiculously quick and easy 30 minute recipe. Pros: Fast, fun, and flavorful fall recipe. Cons: None!! Would I make this again? Yes. I stashed some in the freezer to enjoy later.
I feel bad for people who hate pumpkin.
This must be the most annoying time of the year for them.
For me, it’s my favorite time of the year right alongside Christmas.
Give me ALL the fall flavors, cozy sweaters, and warm drinks. I’m basic like that.
However… the one thing fall baking is often missing is CHOCOLATE. Don’t get me wrong, I love apples, caramel, and straight up pumpkin spice. But I also require my daily dose of chocolate so you know I’m going to find a way to bring it to the autumn party.
Which is exactly what’s happening with today’s recipe. I hope you adore it!
How to Make Homemade Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
How to make MOIST Muffins?
It’s stupid easy to accidentally add too much flour when using measuring cups. That’s often how you end up with dense, dry, or crumbly muffins.
There’s a small arsenal of ingredients that lend moisture and flavor in this recipe: dark brown sugar, buttermilk, and the pumpkin puree!
Do I have to use buttermilk in muffins?
Yes, please do! It actually makes a difference. If you don’t have it on hand, you can use whole milk instead.
In my Ultimate Guide to Muffins I tested side-by-side muffins made with milk vs. buttermilk. The result was that the buttermilk created a more moist, fluffy, and flavorful muffin.
If you’d like to learn more about the science of buttermilk check out my Buttermilk 101 article. Basically it’s these little details that add up to make the difference between mediocre and amazing baked goods.
Do I have to use dark brown sugar?
No! You can use light brown instead. However dark brown will lend more moisture and flavor.
How to make flavorful pumpkin spice muffins?
Be sure all of your spices are fresh and not expired. I like to use canned pure pumpkin puree. Preferably Libby’s brand. Never use canned pumpkin pie filling.
This will create dense or rubbery muffins which no one wants. Once the dry ingredients are combined with the wet, gently stir with a rubber spatula *just* until it’s combined. Since we’re adding in chocolate chips next, I actually like to leave a few streaks of flour. They’ll get stirred into the batter with the chocolate chips.
How to Bake Tall Muffins
You may have seen that high to low baking temperature trick for getting muffins to bake up nice and tall. That trick works, but I almost always forget to lower the temperature. Which of course ruins the whole batch! So I went ahead of simplified things for this recipe with just one temperature.
The height instead comes from using a generous amount of baking powder in the batter. And a generous amount of batter in each muffin tin cavity.
Store in an airtight at room temperature for 3 days. Reheat in the microwave for about 15 seconds if desired to get the chocolate chips nice and gooey.
Can you freeze muffins?
Muffins can also be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Defrost on the counter or in the microwave.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins are loaded with spices and gooey chocolate chips for a super easy 30 minute recipe perfect for breakfast or a sweet snack!
Ingredients
2cups(254 grams) all-purpose flour
3/4cup(150 grams) dark brown sugar
1tablespoonbaking powder
1teaspoonground cinnamon
½teaspoonfine salt
½teaspoonground cloves
½teaspoonground nutmeg
3/4cupbuttermilk, at room temperature
6tablespoons(85 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1large egg, at room temperature
1cup(244 grams) pure pumpkin puree
1teaspoonvanilla extract
1cup(170 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners.
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt.
In a medium bowl whisk together the buttermilk, butter, egg, pumpkin puree, and vanilla. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined. Gently stir in the chocolate chips. Do not overmix. Divide evenly among the muffin tin cups.
Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 to 22 minutes. Let cool until barely warm.
Serve or store in an airtight at room temperature for 3 days. Reheat in the microwave for about 15 seconds if desired. Muffins can also be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Course:
Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine:
American
Keyword:
fall
Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
About Tessa...
I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)
Thank you so much for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins. The great recipe, my brother’s birthday is coming soon. I will make this one cake. thank you for a useful recipe to share us
Absolutely delicious and very easy to make – no special equipment needed! My husband loved them. The pumpkin flavor has nice kick to it and when you bite into those gooey chocolate chips, wow!!
I made this recipe exactly as stated. These muffins came out so moist and delish. They are super rich, creamy and perfectly dense. I will make these for everyone I know!
As a trained chef and cookbook author, I share trusted baking recipes your friends & family will love alongside insights into the science of sweets. I help take the luck out of baking so you *always* have delicious results! Learn more here.
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I have one little question for next time… In the fixings, you have recorded cloves however they vanish in the ways. Should cloves be in the formula?
Thank you so much for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins. The great recipe, my brother’s birthday is coming soon. I will make this one cake. thank you for a useful recipe to share us
Love the sounds of this muffin but can you use a non dairy milk instead of the buttermilk? Thanks!
I made mine with a lactose free whole milk and it turned out just fine! I made my own buttermilk with it. They’re super yummy
Delicious recipe – I made it gluten free and turned out awesome.
Absolutely delicious and very easy to make – no special equipment needed! My husband loved them. The pumpkin flavor has nice kick to it and when you bite into those gooey chocolate chips, wow!!
I made this recipe exactly as stated. These muffins came out so moist and delish. They are super rich, creamy and perfectly dense. I will make these for everyone I know!
These were amazing! I’ll be making them again.