Walnut Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

I roasted my Halloween decorations (yes, pumpkins) and I couldn’t figure out what to make until I found these Simply Pumpkin Muffins by Sally’s Baking Recipes. I was surprised by how well they turned out, so I’ll write down the recipe here (plus my tweaks). You’ll get 14-16 regular-sized muffins.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil or melted coconut oil
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups fresh pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup milk (any type)
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger or nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (plus extra for topping)
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (plus extra for topping)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a muffin pan with paper liners or grease well.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, eggs, and milk.
3. Add the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, ginger, and salt) and combine until just mixed.
4. Gently fold in the chopped walnuts and dark chocolate chips.
5. Spoon the batter into muffin cups, filling each to about 90-95% full. Sprinkle extra brown sugar, chocolate chips, and walnuts on top for decoration.
6. Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F, then reduce the temperature to 350°F (175°C) and bake for an additional 17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.