Hearty and moist pumpkin chocolate chip muffins with just the right amount of warm spices for the cooler fall and winter months. Perfect for breakfast, snacking or dessert.
A friend of mine passed along her pumpkin muffin recipe to me years ago. She got the recipe from a work friend and it's been tweaked many ways, but this is the version I love and make most often. It's a freezer-friendly muffin that's great to have on hand for guests.
These muffins are quite easy to make. They are hearty and moist with dark chocolate chips and walnuts. Perfect for breakfast, an afternoon snack or dessert.
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil, sugar, egg and vanilla
- Flour unbleached white flour but you can also use whole wheat flour instead. I often swap out a little of the flour with wheat germ.
- Baking soda and baking powder
- Nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger classic warm spices for the cooler months.
- Canned pumpkin purée
- Dark chocolate chips I like chunks or pieces, and semi-sweet is good, too!
- Walnuts or pecans
How to make pumpkin chocolate chip muffins
Step 3: Add the chocolate chunks and walnuts, fold in with a spatula.
Step 4: Fill greased muffin tin cups with batter, about two ice cream scoops in each. Bake and then cool on a rack.
Recipe notes and tips
- The recipe can easily be doubled and is freezer-friendly. Put them in plastic freezer bags and pop them in the freezer.
- I often add wheat germ in place of some of the unbleached white flour, 2¼ cups flour + ¼ cup wheat germ.
- You can use white or whole wheat flour, wheat flour will yield a more dense muffin.
- I like to use an ice cream scoop to fill the muffin tin cups with batter, about 2 scoops each.
- Any chocolate chip or chunk will work, dark, semi-sweet or milk chocolate, your preference. I love dark or bittersweet chocolate chips.
- Walnuts or pecans are both good nut choices.
- My friend makes a little healthier version with 1½ cups whole wheat flour, ¾ cups rolled oats and ¼ cup ground flaxseed for the flour portion. You can also use applesauce for the oil, swapping out half the oil amount with applesauce.
Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins are such a warm and cozy choice for breakfast or a snack when the weather turns cooler. They are hearty, filling and perfect for guests. Or like I just did, sent some off with my daughters on a recent long road trip. They loved them! xx0- Kelly🍴🐦
You might like these other comforting baked goods for family, friends and special occasions:
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UPDATED: Originally published in August, 2015, and updated with new photos and copy in January, 2022. No changes to original recipe.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 ½ cups unbleached flour or whole wheat flour
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 (15-oz.) can of pumpkin
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º
- In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat oil and sugar well. Mix in egg and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and mix well.
- Add the flour mixture and pumpkin alternately, mixing well after each addition.
- Remove bowl from mixer and fold in chocolate chips and walnuts with a spatula.
- Spoon into well greased muffin tin. I use an ice cream scoop and put two scoops in each, fill up each muffin cup all the way.
- Bake until golden and done, about 20-25 minutes.
- Let cool for a few minutes and then remove to wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe Notes
- You can easily double this recipe for two dozen.
- I often add wheat germ in place of some of the flour, 2¼ cup flour and ¼ cup of wheat germ.
- I coat the muffin tin well with a baking non-stick spray with flour.
- I like dark chocolate chunks, but you can definitely use chocolate chips of your choice, dark or semi-sweet, even milk chocolate.
- Walnuts or pecans are good nut choices.
- My friend uses 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour, ¾ cup rolled oats and ¼ cup ground flaxseed. This healthier variation makes denser muffins.
Meathead
Tuesday 18th of January 2022
Kelly made these muffins for our girls to take along on their cross-country trip. Their favorite part of the journey was a close tie between Lake Tahoe and the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins!
Kelly
Friday 21st of January 2022
They make a great portable snack or breakfast on the go.
Beth
Wednesday 5th of August 2015
Kelly, yours look beautiful! And I agree with Quinn-anytime you can get chocolate in a meal it's a win-win!! Love you!
Quinn
Tuesday 4th of August 2015
Anytime you can get chocolate into a healthy breakfast item, you've got a win!
Kelly
Tuesday 4th of August 2015
Jill! Thank you. My friend Beth makes the best stuff. I think they are the healthiest baked item I've ever made.