Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Not all flours are created equally! While all flours look similar, the difference lies in how they’re milled, the wheat they’re made from and the time of year the wheat is harvested. However, the biggest difference is their protein content. When liquid interacts with the proteins in your flour, it forms gluten – which gives baked goods the ability to rise. More protein means more gluten will be formed.

While there are many types of flour – all-purpose, cake, bread and self-rising, to name a few – the best flour to use when making muffins is all-purpose flour.

• All-purpose flour: This versatile flour is perfect for making almost anything – from cookies, cakes and muffins to some breads and pizza dough. All-purpose flour is recommended for this pumpkin chocolate chip muffin recipe.
• Cake flour: This flour is milled to an ultra-fine consistency. It has a low protein count which gives baked goods a tender texture and high rise. If you are looking for a sweeter pumpkin muffin that is more cake-like in texture, you can swap out the all-purpose flour for cake flour.
• Whole wheat flour: White all-purpose flour has a milder flavor than whole wheat flour. And, whole wheat flour is more absorbent, meaning it requires more liquid. This can result in an extra-sticky dough. If you are interested in using whole wheat flour in this recipe, I recommend you swap 25 % of the all-purpose for whole wheat.
• Bread flour: Bread flour contains a greater amount of gluten than all-purpose which contributes to a chewy consistency in baked goods. I do not recommend bread flour for this recipe.

This pumpkin chocolate chip muffin recipe calls for roughly chopped semi-sweet chocolate. For the best taste, I recommend using high-quality chocolate baking bars, such as Baker, Ghirardelli or Lindt. They are typically sold in 4 ounce bars and located the baking aisle of the grocery store.

With that said, you can use any type of chocolate you love! Try dark chocolate, milk chocolate or white chocolate for a delicious variation! Or, try using half chocolate chunks and half mini chocolate chips for a little more chocolate in each bite!

You can absolutely add nuts to these muffins! Feel free to swap out the chocolate chunks for your favorite variety of nuts! Or, you can even use a combination of chocolate and nuts! I recommend walnuts or pecans; however, hazelnuts are also a delicious option. Make sure you roughly chop the nuts before folding them into the muffin batter.

If you are looking for a decadent muffin experience, try drizzling or dipping your muffin in icing or a glaze for the perfect finishing touch!

• Cream Cheese Icing: Rich, slightly tangy cream cheese icing is a delicious option for canned pumpkin muffins! (I’ve included the recipe in the notes section of the printable recipe card below!)
• Maple Icing: Sweet, inviting, fall-flavored maple icing complements these muffins beautifully! (I’ve included the recipe in the notes section of the printable recipe card below!)
• Vanilla Icing: Classic vanilla icing pairs beautifully with anything, including pumpkin muffins! (Swap out the maple extract for all vanilla extract in the maple icing recipe below.)
• Cinnamon Icing: Creamy, warming cinnamon icing is a delicious addition to fall treats! (You can add a few dashes of ground cinnamon to either icing recipe below!)

Expert tip: Unlike frosting which is thick and heavy, icing should be light, slightly liquid-y and wonderfully drizzle-able! If your icing is too thick, you can thin it with a bit of milk or heavy cream. On the other hand, if your icing is too thin, you can thicken it by adding a bit more confectioner’s sugar!

Follow the simple tips below to ensure your muffins never fall short in texture:

• Avoid whole-wheat and coconut flour. Muffins made with wholesome flour tend to produce dry muffins. This is because these flours will absorb the moisture from your batter.
• Use good-quality pumpkin puree. Pureed pumpkin provides plenty of moisture and prevents the muffins from becoming dry. Make sure you are using a good-quality 100% pumpkin puree and make sure you use the proper amount (1 1/2 leveled cups). If you skimp on the puree, the muffins will turn out dry and crumbly.
• Use oil. This recipe calls for vegetable oil. Oil gives muffins a superior texture and helps the muffins stay moist and tender far longer than muffins made with butter.
• Bake at the proper temperature: The time and temperature for baking plays a big role in the moisture of your muffins. Over-bake the muffins at too high a temperature and they will lose their moisture and turn out dry.
• Proper storage: Store the muffins in an airtight container to preserve moisture. Exposure to air will cause the muffins to dry out.
• Troubleshooting: If you mismeasured your ingredients, overbaked your muffins or experienced some other mishap, don’t worry – the muffins can be salvaged! You can use a simply syrup to moisten your muffins and enhance the subtle sweetness already present. To make a simple syrup – combine 1 cup granulated sugar with 1 cup of water in a medium saucepan. Bring the contents to a boil and stir until all the sugar has dissolved. Remove the syrup from the heat and allow to cool completely. To use the syrup – dip a pastry brush into the syrup and brush it evenly over the muffins.

If your canned pumpkin muffins are dense, chances are you over-mixed the batter. When you mix muffin batter you are developing gluten – and, the more you mix your batter, the more gluten you are developing. Over-mixing leads to over-developing the gluten which will cause muffins to be very dense instead of light and tender.

• Scrape down the sides of the bowl. It’s imperative you stop and scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl between ingredients additions. This ensures all the ingredients are incorporated. It will also help you to avoid over-mixing the batter at the end.
• Fold the ingredients: Make sure you use a rubber spatula to gently fold the wet and dry ingredients together. If you use a handheld mixer, or stand mixer, chances are you’re going to over-mix the batter.

The length of time pumpkin spice muffins requires to bake will depend upon the recipe and the temperature of your oven. This muffin recipe will take approximately 20-22 minutes to bake.

You should always bake your muffins until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean – a few moist crumbs are perfectly fine.