I have been looking for an amazing pumpkin bread or muffin recipe for a long time. Some recipes have come close, but not quite. And then recently my cousin Marla handed me a cute, little chocolate chip pumpkin loaf as a holiday gift. The loaf stayed moist for days, wasn't too sweet, and had just the right amount of spice. I couldn't stop eating it. My search is now over; this is my new "go-to" muffin recipe.
It is no surprise that this recipe is terrific because Marla is an excellent baker. Once she brought this berry cheesecake to my house.
So thank you Marla for sharing this winning pumpkin recipe. Marla got the recipe from her mom, and both of them have been making this recipe for a long time.
My kids joined me in the kitchen, and we decided to make this pumpkin loaf recipe as muffins. My 7-year-old was the baking assistant, and my 11-year-old was the photo assistant. I was the recipe editor: I upped the fiber and reduced the cholesterol. I was happy that the recipe was already dairy-free. Our joint effort was a success. My older daughter has declared these the best muffins ever. The pumpkin muffins are so tasty that they are disappearing fast. My kids decorated the muffins for Valentine's Day, but I don't think that we'll have any left to celebrate the day. I don't mind that we'll have to make another batch.
| The Ultimate Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins (healthier & dairy-free) | Print |
A note about the procedure: Technically the dry and wet ingredients should be mixed in separate bowls before the two are combined. But the muffins came out well when I dumped the unmixed wet ingredients on top of the dry, so why dirty an extra bowl unnecessarily? The key is not to overmix the batter or else the muffins turn out rubbery.
So, what are you waiting for? These are the best muffins ever.
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- ⅔ cup all-purpose unbleached flour
- 1-½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground cloves & ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup canned pumpkin or homemade pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
- ½ cup neutral oil (like grapeseed or canola)
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 egg and 2 whites (or 2 eggs), beaten
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips (like the dairy-free ones from Enjoy Life)
- Preheat oven to 350F (or 335F for convection oven). Line standard-sized muffin tins with paper liners and set aside.
- Place all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl: flours, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Combine well with a whisk.
- Place all the wet ingredients on top of the dry: pumpkin, oil, water, and eggs. Use a whisk to combine well in as few strokes as possible. Overmixing leads to tough muffins. Gently stir in the chips.
- Spoon the batter into muffin cups filling about ¾ full. Bake for 18-22 minutes until the tops are lightly golden brown, a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, and the tops spring back when gently tapped.
- Let cool in the pan for a few minutes. Then turn out the muffins, and continue cooling on a rack. Serve warm or room temperature. Once cool, store in an airtight container for several days or freeze.
If you have leftover pumpkin purée, here are more recipes that you can make:
Pumpkin Pasta
Pumpkin Crostini
Pumpkin Risotto
Pumpkin Oatmeal
Marla says
Hi Dana! What a wonderful post and thanks for all of the nice comments
Dana says
Glad you like it!