Our Ordinary Breakfast: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
I am not pretending that these are “healthy,” but we avoid that word in our house anyway. What they are is delicious, easy to bring together, and easily adjusted in terms of the kinds of fat, sugars, and flours you use.
I’ll share the quick overview, the actual recipe, and then some adjustments and notes at the end.
The Basics
You beat eggs and sugar and then add pumpkin, oil, and the dry ingredients. Super basic muffin situation. The batter also works great cooked in a loaf pan, cake pan, or something else that isn’t muffins.
The recipe is also easily doubled, but this listed recipe makes 24 muffins.
The Recipe
INGREDIENTS
3 cups of flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
15oz can pumpkin puree
1 cup of fat
generous cup of chocolate chips
THE BASIC HOW-TO
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Sift together the dry ingredients (flour through cinnamon) and set aside.
Beat together the eggs and sugar with your preferred mixing technique until smooth and a little fluffy.
Gently mix in the canned pumpkin until smooth and somewhat less fluffy because that’s what happens when you add something dense to something light.
Even more gently, mix in the fat. If you’re using a stand mixer, I say drizzle in the fat slowly to prevent splatter and to allow for a more even mix.
Gently (muffins are such divas) mix in the dry ingredients. If there are a couple of flour streaks, don’t sweat it.
Add in the chocolate chips and gently stir together until no flour streaks remain.
Scoop 2/3 full into muffin tins (lined or sprayed) or into sprayed loaf or cake pans.
Bake until the muffins/cake/bread is pulling away from the sides, is springy, and a toothpick comes out of the center clean. Pay attention that you might go straight into a chocolate chip, so test again if that’s the case.
Cool in the pan for about five minutes before removing to cool completely.
Detailed Notes
Ingredient Substitutions
You can use any combination of flours, sugars, and fats. The ratios are what matters. I’ll sometimes use half all-purpose flour and half whole wheat. You could use all white wheat. I’d avoid using all whole wheat, or at least don’t expect to be as tender (which might be what you’re after). Just use three cups in some combination. Even a cup-for-cup GF flour would likely work.
For fat, you want it to be a cup of liquid fat, so use all canola oil, all melted coconut oil, all melted butter, or some combination. Just use one cup of melted fat, and you’ll be great. My favorite is half butter, half oil, but I don’t always have time for that.
And sugars are the same. Using all white sugar is sweet and tender. Going half and half with white and brown sugar adds a nice complexity. I’ve used coconut sugar to be a little more energy-friendly for the morning. Do your thing. Just steer clear of liquid sweeteners like honey and agave because they change the texture.
You can also make spice substitutions. Use the 2 tsp. of cinnamon but feel free to add a little ginger, nutmeg, or clove.
Oh, and I use semisweet chips, but you can use dark, milk, semisweet chips, chunks, or cut up a bar. Your call.
Mixing Notes
I use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, but this can work with a whisk or wooden spoon. It depends on how involved you want to be. A stand mixer usually makes a lighter muffin since you can incorporate more air, but it’s not a dealbreaker. I’ve done it both ways, and they both work great.
Other Notes
I don’t use muffin liners. I lose too much muffin in the removal, and you can’t fit as much batter. That’s just me. I use cooking spray and a great nonstick pan.
Please sift your flour into a sheet of wax or parchment paper so you don’t have to dirty up a second bowl.
These freeze great. We freeze the muffins on a sheet pan until they’re hard and then put them in a freezer bag. You can do the same by slicing up a loaf and freezing the slices. We just microwave them a bit, and they’re perfect.
If you double the recipe, just use a big can of pumpkin puree. It’s not exactly 30oz, but it works all the same.
If you want more picture-perfect muffins, reserve some chocolate chips and sprinkle them on top of each muffin before baking.
I know I didn’t include cooking times because I’m weird like that, but I never pay full attention. Plus, the timing is obviously way different if you’re baking muffins versus a loaf. Muffins usually go about 17 minutes. Loaf pans closer to 50. My giant baking pan that I put a double batch in goes over an hour. Just set a timer and then start checking on it after. I know; I’m the worst. Such an official recipe developer. (SPOILER: I AM NOT.)
Hope you like them. We’ve been eating these for over six years, and they’re still not old. Have fun.
