Made From Scratch

My daughter requested pumpkin chocolate chip muffins for breakfast on Thanksgiving morning this year. I googled, asked friends and searched my recipe books, but couldn’t find a version that was perfect. So, I just combined bits and pieces of the various “almost right” versions I found and wrote my own recipe. Here it is and, I must say, they were perfect!

PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

Makes 1 dozen or so full size muffins

INGREDIENTS:

1.5 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 can canned pumpkin puree (15 oz.)

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. nutmeg

¼ tsp. ground cloves

¼ tsp. ground ginger

pinch allspice

1 cup plus 1 Tbsp sugar

½  tsp baking soda

½  tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

¾ cup chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350° F. Put liners in muffin cups.

Whisk together flour and baking powder in a small bowl.

Whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs, spices, 1 cup sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until smooth, then whisk in flour mixture until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips

Stir together cinnamon and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in another bowl.

Divide batter among muffin cups (each should be about 3/4 full), then sprinkle tops with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake until puffed and golden brown and a wooden pick or skewer inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean, about 25 minutes.

Cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes, then transfer muffins from pan to rack and cool to warm or room temperature.