Bite-sized treats are the best, and these easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins are the perfect miniature versions of my chocolate chip pumpkin bread. They’re stuffed with gooey chocolate chips and have an irresistibly spiced pumpkin flavor. They’re ideal for breakfast, brunch, or grab-and-go snacking.
Reasons to Make Adorable Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
The recipe is based on my pumpkin muffin recipe, which is very popular with everyone I feed it to! I decided to make a chocolate muffin version because I love chocolate and want to show you how easy and adaptable these muffins are for busy bakers.
- Easy to Make. These delicious pumpkin chocolate muffins are moist, soft, and easy to make. They’re mixed by hand (no mixer required) and can be ready in an hour. You can also prepare the batter the night before, refrigerate it, and have freshly baked muffins the next morning to delight your family and friends. These muffins freeze well, making them perfect for sharing or feeding a big family.
- They Look Amazing. Aside from tasting spectacular, these muffins look almost too good to eat with their beautiful domed tops. Baking the muffins at 425°F initially helps them achieve a gorgeous domed top, because the intense heat activates the leavening agents, encouraging a rapid rise and preventing the batter from spreading. You’ll be proud to serve these at any gathering!
- Taste Great. The semi-sweet chocolate chips provide a great balance to the spiced sweetness and earthy flavor of the pumpkin. And I don’t skimp on the chocolate chips! You’re guaranteed to get a generous amount of chocolate in every bite of these muffins. In my book, you can’t go wrong with a pumpkin-chocolate pairing.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffin Ingredients
Below are the key ingredients for these moist and delicious chocolate pumpkin muffins.
- Pumpkin Puree: I recommend Libby’s Pumpkin Puree because it’s made from a pumpkin variety that’s perfect for baking. Store leftover puree in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze it in a freezer-safe container for up to a year.
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: I prefer semi-sweet chocolate for this recipe and recommend not going above 60% cocoa. I use chocolate chips instead of chopped chocolate because they’re designed to hold their shape in the batter, giving a better appearance.
- Dark Brown Sugar: Dark brown sugar adds a rich sweetness and a subtle molasses flavor to the muffins, which is why I prefer it to light brown sugar for this recipe. But you can use light brown sugar. The muffins will be a tad bit sweeter with light brown sugar.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: I use my reliable homemade pumpkin pie spice recipe, a delicious combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and allspice.
Full ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Step 1: Melt your unsalted butter in a small saucepan over low heat, then let it cool slightly.
Step 2: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
Step 3: Whisk the chocolate chips into the dry ingredients to coat them, and set aside the mixture.
Step 4: In a large bowl, whisk the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice together.
Step 5: Whisk in the eggs until they’re well combined and the batter is lighter in color.
Step 6: Add the melted butter, pumpkin puree, and buttermilk, whisking until smooth. Let the batter sit for 10 minutes so the sugar has more time to dissolve.
Step 7: Fold in the chocolate chip flour mixture in two stages, mixing until no white specks of flour remain.
Step 8: The batter should be thick and lumpy once all the dry ingredients are added.
Store Batter Overnight
If you want fresh muffins first thing in the morning, make the pumpkin muffin batter in the evening and store the batter overnight in the refrigerator in an airtight container. The next morning, fill the muffin tin and bake the muffins.
This recipe makes incredibly moist and delicious muffins, but they will be even better after sitting overnight because the flour fully hydrates and the flavors have more completely melded together.
Step 9: Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling them almost to the top of the liners.
Step 10: Bake the muffins until risen and the center is done.
Step 11: Let the muffins cool in the pan briefly before transferring them to a wire rack until they're cool enough to handle easily. You definitely want to serve these delicious beauties while they're still warm.
The chocolate chips in the center will be soft and gooey, the perfect texture. Yummy!
Serving Ideas for Pumpkin Chocolate Muffins
The muffins are delicious when served warm from the oven, but they taste even better on the second and third days after baking. These pumpkin muffins are particularly tasty with a thick smear of butter and a sprinkle of sea salt on top.
More Pumpkin Recipes to Try
Of course, pumpkin season calls for homemade pumpkin treats and I have a variety for you to choose from including my favorite: Pumpkin Streusel Muffins. But don’t stop there, try these other favorites:
- Easy Moist Pumpkin Bread
- Banana Muffin Bread with a Crunchy Streusel
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Muffins
Expert Tips for This Recipe
- Weigh your ingredients. Use a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients to ensure accuracy, especially for the flour, the eggs, and the pumpkin puree.
- Don't overmix the batter. Once the flour is added to the wet ingredients only mix long enough to incorporate the flour. Overmixing the batter will result in chewy muffins.
- Check the baking powder expiration date. Baking powder can lose its leavening power, which we need to help the muffin rise. If you haven't baked for a while, check the date on the package and discard it if the expiration date has passed.
- Use an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature. A thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf is a reliable check for doneness. The thermometer should read between 195-200°F for the perfect bake.
If you make these delicious pumpkin muffins leave a rating and a comment below.
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Homemade Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins, A Step-by-Step Guide
Ingredients
- 1-3/4 cups (220 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (170 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 2 large (100 grams) eggs room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) buttermilk room temperature
- 8 tablespoons (113 grams) unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1 1/4 cups (280 grams) pumpkin puree Libby's Pumpkin Puree recommended
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat and then let it cool to about 85°F. (Note: If the butter starts to splatter and pop while melting, the heat is too high, reduce it further).
- Place the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk for 30 seconds to thoroughly combine all the ingredients. Add the chocolate chips to the dry ingredients and toss to coat the chips with flour.
- Place the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and pumpkin pie spice in a bowl and whisk together. Use your fingers to break up the clumps of brown sugar.
- Add the eggs and whisk for 1 minute. The eggs will be thoroughly combined with the sugars, and the batter will be lighter in color. Add the cooled melted butter to the mixture and whisk it in until thoroughly combined.
- Whisk in the buttermilk and then the pumpkin puree. Let the wet ingredients sit for 10 minutes to give more time for the sugar to dissolve.
- Add half of the chocolate chip-flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Use a silicone spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Add the remaining flour mixture and fold it in until the dry ingredients are thoroughly incorporated, and no white specs of flour remain. The batter will be lumpy which is okay.
- Divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups, about 95 grams of batter for each muffin cup. The batter should almost be the top of each paper liner.
- Place the muffin pan in the oven and bake the muffins at 425°F for 5 minutes. Without opening the oven door reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake the muffins for another 15-18 minutes. The muffins will rise and have slightly craggly tops.
- Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center. It should only have a few crumbs clinging to it. If it is wet batter the muffins are done. The other method is to check the temperature in the center of the muffin with an instant read thermometer. It should register 202°F.
- Remove the muffin pan from the oven and let the muffins cool in the muffin pan for 5 minutes. Place the individual muffins on a wire rack to finish cooling. The muffins can be (and should be) served warm.
Storage
- Store the pumpkin muffins in an airtight container for up to 3 days. For longer storage, wrap them individually in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
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