pumpkin Archives · Jess in the Kitchen

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

As fall rolls around, I begin to look forward to all sorts of roasted squash and other delicious fall flavors. In particular, the excitement for roasted pumpkin for breads and muffins is top on the list. Not only do you get baked treats out of the deal, but roasted pumpkin seeds as well. Pumpkin freezes well, and that leaves me ready to bake throughout the year. Haven’t done it before? Check out my directions for roasted pumpkin here. This year, a chocolate chip pumpkin muffin was a new, fun creation!

These great muffins have a twist from my norm, utilizing brown sugar to create some richness and added chocolate for all the kids (and kids at heart!). Normally, I like to substitute maple syrup for the brown sugar, but I recognize that I am lucky in the Midwest, being able to make my own homemade maple syrup each year; it isn’t as accessible for others.

Needless to say, when I had my sister and nephews over a few weekends ago, these chocolate chip pumpkin muffins didn’t last long. They were gobbled up and the kids were asking for more! If you still have pumpkin on hand from Thanksgiving, this is definitely a recipe you’ll want to try!

Ready to start baking? Let’s get started!

Your Ingredients

1 ½ cups roasted and mashed pumpkin
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ cup coarsely chopped nuts
¼ -⅓ chocolate chips, if desired

Your Steps to Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 18 muffin vessels by spraying with cooking spray or lining with muffin cups. In a large bowl, stir pumpkin, brown sugar, oil, vanilla, and eggs together until well combined.

Combine flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and baking powder in another bowl. Fold into the wet ingredients until just combined. Fold the chopped nuts and chocolate chips in.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

These chocolate chip pumpkin muffins are sure to make everyone smile, with their combination of brown sugar, warming spices, and chocolate.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings muffins

Equipment

Muffin tin

Ingredients

1 ½ cups roasted and mashed pumpkin
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ cup coarsely chopped nuts
¼ -⅓ chocolate chips if desired

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 18 muffin vessels by spraying with cooking spray or lining with muffin cups. In a large bowl, stir pumpkin, brown sugar, oil, vanilla, and eggs together until well combined.
Combine flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and baking powder in another bowl. Fold into the wet ingredients until just combined. Fold the chopped nuts and chocolate chips in.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Keyword Breakfast, breakfast breads, breakfast muffins, muffins, pumpkin, pumpkin bread, pumpkin recipes

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Looking for other great breakfast recipes?

You can definitely check out my baking and my breakfast pages. Or maybe one of the recipes below will tickle your fancy!

November 27, 2023November 27, 2023

JessLeave a comment

Pumpkin Pie Baked Oatmeal

Weekends in the fall are for cozy breakfasts. Warm breakfasts that you can curl your hands around with a cup of coffee and just take in the cool, beautiful weather. At least, that’s what I believe. Most days of the week, I go for overnight oats with Greek yogurt (Grab this recipe here!), but on the weekend, I like to play around with my breakfast a little more and this pumpkin pie baked oatmeal is just the ticket.

I don’t know your story, but I am a mom that lives for the quiet on the weekends. For me, I intentionally wake up before everyone else so I can enjoy my coffee and breakfast with a candle and some Christmas lights (don’t judge!). I love mixing together baked oatmeal to savor while it’s still before dawn. This pumpkin pie baked oatmeal is a single serving dish of deliciousness that mixes up in minutes and bakes in just twenty minutes. I top it with a little Triple Zero Vanilla Greek Yogurt to get those whipped cream vibes without all the sugar. So dang good!

Ready to make your own breakfast? Let’s go!

Your Ingredients for Pumpkin Pie Baked Oatmeal

½ cup quick oats
½ tablespoon ground flaxseed
⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon maple syrup
⅓ cup unsweetened almond milk (or other milk of your choice)
⅛ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup pumpkin puree (I always roast my own! Learn how here!)
2 tablespoons walnuts (optional)

Your Steps

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, combine oats, flaxseed, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Add remaining ingredients and stir well. Pour the mixture into a small round baking dish. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the top of the oatmeal is solid. Eat it plain, or top with vanilla Greek yogurt for extra protein and a little treat!

Mixing the Ingredients — You’ve got your dry.

Pumpkin Pie Baked Oatmeal

A warm and cozy pumpkin pie baked oatmeal is the ticket for a single serving breakfast full of good for you ingredients

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 3

Cook Time 15

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings

Ingredients

½ cup quick oats
½ tablespoon ground flaxseed
⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon maple syrup
⅓ cup unsweetened almond milk or other milk of your choice
⅛ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons walnuts optional

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a small bowl, combine oats, flaxseed, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder.
Add remaining ingredients and stir well. Pour the mixture into a small round baking dish.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the top of the oatmeal is solid.
Eat it plain, or top with vanilla Greek yogurt for extra protein and a little treat!

Keyword baked oatmeal, Breakfast, oatmeal, pumpkin, pumpkin recipes, single serving

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

October 30, 2022February 5, 2024

JessLeave a comment

Spiced Pumpkin Bread

Are you team pumpkin or team apple in the fall? Hands down, I was team apple for years. Then I slowly shifted. It started when I grew my own pumpkins and subsequently roasted them. I had to bake with them, and once I did that, there was no looking back. At about that same time, I discovered a pumpkin bread I adored. But…it had THREE cups of sugar. Three. I just can’t do that anymore. So this is my take on that bread I adored: a spiced pumpkin bread.

When I bake something I am especially proud of, I share with allll the friends and family. One friend said it had a feeling of spice cake with pumpkin on the finish. The Mr’s best friend grabbed a piece and before I could even ask what he thought, he said, “this is REALLY good.”

I opted to go maple syrup with just a touch of brown sugar for that molasses taste. And the oil? I actually used some rendered lard from our half of a pig we purchased earlier this fall. It got melted/softened and worked like a dream. No lard? No problem, go with some coconut oil or regular oil and it will work just fine.

Ready to start baking? Let’s go!

Your Ingredients

1 ½ cups pumpkin puree (roast your own! It’s incredible!)
2 eggs
¼ cup oil (lard)
⅔ cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cloves
½ cup chopped nuts, optional

You Steps to Spiced pumpkin Bread

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, oil, maple syrup, and brown sugar. Mix in the pumpkin puree.

Add the whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Mix until just combined. Fold in chopped nuts, if desired.

Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes, until cooked through and passes the toothpick test.

Spiced Pumpkin Bread

Home roasted pumpkin with a collection of spices makes the best quick bread. This healthier twist on a spiced pumpkin bread is sure to be a hit!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 50

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American, Bread

Servings slices

Equipment

9×5 Bread Pan

Ingredients

1 ½ cups pumpkin puree
2 eggs
¼ cup oil lard
⅔ cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cloves
½ cup chopped nuts optional

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine the eggs, oil, maple syrup, and brown sugar.
Mix in the pumpkin puree.
Add whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Mix until just combined.
Fold in chopped nuts, if desired.
Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes, until cooked through and passes the toothpick test.

Notes

We purchased a half of a hog the last few years, and I always have the lard rendered. It works AMAZINGLY well in baked goods. I melted it about halfway so that it had some soft sold parts yet. No lard? No problem. Coconut oil would work great too!

Keyword healthy breads, maple syrup, pumpkin, pumpkin bread, quick breads

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Looking for other fun recipes?

Check out any of the ones below and if they don’t tickle your fancy, find lots more on my baking page!

October 22, 2022November 12, 2022

JessLeave a comment

Oatmeal Pumpkin Muffins: Clean Eating Style

Recently, I put together some delightful sourdough pumpkin muffins. However, all my friends who aren’t sourdough bakers yet (You know you want to! Here’s a great link by King Arthur’s Flour on how to get started!) requested a non-sourdough pumpkin muffin, preferably of the healthy persuasion. After a little bit of testing and trying, here it is! Oatmeal Pumpkin Muffins (with chocolate chips!).

This Oatmeal Pumpkin Muffin pairs well with a warm cup of coffee in the morning. I love that it isn’t overly sweet and that it’s a baked good I can feel good about putting into my body. While it pains me at times, I just can’t do too much sweet in the morning. It leaves me a feeling out of sorts and not fueled the right way to tackle all the big goals I have!

One more note: This recipe was created using a home roasted pumpkin. If you haven’t tried roasting your own pumpkin yet, I highly recommend it and the time is still right. Pick up a pumpkin or two from the local market, roast them up using the directions you can find here. Then freeze some so you can have fresh pumpkin baked goods all year round!

Okay, enough talking, let’s get baking some Oatmeal Pumpkin muffins my friends!

Your Ingredients (about 18 muffins)

2 cups pumpkin puree
2 eggs, room temperature
⅓ cup real maple syrup (if you like things on the sweeter side, up this to ½ cup)
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
1 cup old fashioned oats
¾ teaspoon pumpkin spice (or a combination of cinnamon and nutmeg with a dash of clove)
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup chopped walnuts
⅓ cup chocolate chips

Your Steps to great Oatmeal Pumpkin Muffins

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two muffin tins with muffin cups or by spraying with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine puree, eggs, and maple syrup. Combine flour, oats, pumpkin spice, baking soda, and salt. Add to wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in the walnuts, and chocolate chips. Add coconut oil and stir once more.

Spoon into prepared muffin tins, filling approximately ¾ of the way. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until cooked all the way through. Marvel at the beautiful texture and promptly pop one in your mouth. Aren’t the melty chocolate chips just the best?!

Tools of the trade

If you’re baking, you need a great muffin tin. If you are fortunate enough to have a pumpkin to roast, I recommend a nice thick baking sheet lined in foil. Looking to get a new one? Check out the links below!

Oatmeal Pumpkin Muffins

Oatmeal Pumpkin Muffins: Good for you ingredients combine in these pumpkin muffins made from freshly roasted pumpkin!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings muffins

Ingredients

2 cups pumpkin puree
2 eggs room temperature
⅓ cup real maple syrup if you like things on the sweeter side, up this to ½ cup
2 tablespoons coconut oil melted
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
1 cup old fashioned oats
¾ teaspoon pumpkin spice or a combination of cinnamon and nutmeg with a dash of clove
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup chopped walnuts
⅓ cup chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two muffin tins with muffin cups or by spraying with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine puree, eggs, and maple syrup.
Combine flour, oats, pumpkin spice, baking soda, and salt. Add to wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
Fold in the walnuts, and chocolate chips.
Add coconut oil and stir once more.
Spoon into prepared muffin tins, filling approximately ¾ of the way.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until cooked all the way through.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

November 11, 2020October 4, 2021

JessLeave a comment

Happy Mistake Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins

Isn’t it grand when a “happy little mistake” turns out to be a delight? While I have recently adopted the mentality of “what’s the worst that can happen?” when I am cooking and experimenting (by the way the worst that can happen is I learn what DOESN’T work and I throw away a little food), it is always exciting when the experiment turns out to be the best case scenario. That happened for me a week or so ago when I set out to make pumpkin scones. Scones were not the result, but the sourdough pumpkin muffins I created were a hit!

Let me backtrack A little bit…

I have a great standard scone recipe that I adapt for all sorts of flavors of scones. You can check out one of my sourdough scone recipes here. I generally modify the spices and maybe add some diced fruit or lemon zest. This time, I had freshly roasted pumpkin that I was excited to use and figured it would mix well into the scone recipe. Needless to say, it became a little more damp than I am accustomed to, and I knew scones would be a no go.

A few minutes of thinking and a few additional ingredients resulted in a batter the perfect consistency for muffins. I allowed it to rest (like a good sourdough bread should do), and lo and behold, a light, full of spice sourdough pumpkin muffins were born. I was so excited to share it with all of you!

As an aside, it may not be traditional to share the mishaps turned to beauty in the kitchen. I believe in being real in life and on social media, and man, cooking isn’t always pretty. We make mistakes. Burn things, forget the salt, add one too many eggs, or forget just how many cups of flour you put in (Seriously, I use the least amount of measuring cups possible so if that means I have to use the ½ cup 5 times, I am down for it. Sometimes I lose track though. What can I say?) Bottom line, being in the kitchen should be an adventure. Take chances, embrace the mishaps and love the learning. It’s the only way to get better.

Now let’s get cooking!

Your Ingredients for Sourdough Pumpkin muffins

2 ½ cups all purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (or 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon ground cloves)
⅓ cup cold butter
1 ½ cups fresh, active sourdough starter
1 cup fresh or thawed pumpkin puree
¼-½ chocolate chips (optional)

Your Steps for Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare muffin tins by greasing or lining with muffin tin liners. Combine all dry ingredients. Cut cold butter into small pieces and add to the flour mixture. Mix by hand, pinching the butter in your fingers until it’s mixed together-ish. To that mixture, add starter, pumpkin, and chocolate chips. Mix by hand until just combined, making sure to reach the bottom of the bowl. Cover. Allow to rest 20-30 minutes. Scoop by ¼ cup full and fill muffin tins. Bake for 20 minutes, or until they pass the toothpick test (a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean).

Round out the fall flavor sensation by pairing your freshly baked muffins with some warm apple cider or maybe even a pumpkin spice latte.

Tools of the Trade

Roasted Pumpkin Recipe

Looking to roast your own pie pumpkin? Click here to get the recipe!

Sourdough Pumpkin Muffins

Sourdough discard mixed with fresh roasted pumpkin puree make for a delightful sourdough pumpkin muffin.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Servings muffins

Ingredients

2 ½ cups all purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice or 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
⅓ cup cold butter
1 ½ cups fresh active sourdough starter
1 cup fresh or thawed pumpkin puree
¼-½ chocolate chips optional

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Prepare muffin tins by greasing or lining with muffin tin liners.
Combine all dry ingredients. Cut cold butter into small pieces and add to the flour mixture.
Mix by hand, pinching the butter in your fingers until it’s mixed together-ish.
To that mixture, add starter, pumpkin, and chocolate chips.
Mix by hand until just combined, making sure to reach the bottom of the bowl.
Cover. Allow to rest 20-30 minutes.
Scoop by ¼ cup full and fill muffin tins. Bake for 20 minutes, or until they pass the toothpick test (a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean).

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

October 17, 2020October 3, 2021

JessLeave a comment

How Can it Be This Easy Home Roasted Pumpkin

I love everything about autumn. The jeans and sweatshirt weather. The leaves changing. All the smells. Fresh apples from the orchard and warm cider. I love all of it. I even got married in the fall so we could have the changing trees as a backdrop with mums in every bouquet. However, one thing I could never get behind was pumpkin spice. It just wasn’t my jam. I’ll just skip that flavor and jump to peppermint mocha, thank you very much. Then my mother in law introduced me to home roasted pumpkin, and it was a game changer.

If you have never roasted your own pumpkin, get to the store and pick up a pie pumpkin. Or really, any small pumpkin. I am telling you, it’s SO good. And did I mention it’s easy? Oh, and you even get the seeds out of the pumpkin so you can roast them. Win, win, and win.

If you are an “all things pumpkin” baked goods lover, the even better news is that roasted pumpkin freezes great. If you have a few tried and true recipes, pre measure the pumpkin you need for that specific recipe, place it in a freezer container or bag, label it, and you’ll be good to go the next time you want to get baking. Or you can be like my friend Britt and just eat it by the forkful as you stand around the stove, sipping hot apple cider. I won’t judge.

Your Ingredients

1 pie pumpkin
Olive oil cooking spray (or any other means to grease the pan)
Salt and pepper or cinnamon and brown sugar (optional)

Your Steps

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. While the oven is preheating, cut the pumpkin in half with a sharp knife. Using a large spoon, clean out the insides and seeds. (I highly recommend separating the seeds from the pulp and placing them in another bowl. Cover with a little water until you’re able to roast them.)

Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Lay the pumpkins cut side down. Roast for 25-40 minutes, depending on the size of your pumpkin. It is done when you can easily pierce the skin with a fork. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Once cool, scrape the flesh from the skins. You can totally puree it, but I just leave it in its natural form.

From here, you have a few options:

Eat it straight from the skin. If you choose this option, might I recommend making it sweet or savory with a sprinkle of a little cinnamon and brown sugar or salt and pepper before you roast it?
Measure it out for your favorite recipes and freeze it. Although many will say it only lasts a few months, I have had zero issues using year old frozen pumpkin.
Measure it out and bake right away. I often will roast one day and bake a few days later. It will keep in the fridge for up to a week in my experience.

What’s your favorite pumpkin recipe? Or are you more of an apple cider kind of guy or gal?

Don’t have a favorite recipe? This is a great, indulgent pumpkin bread recipe from All Recipes.

Hoping to bake other treats? Check out my baking page by clicking the button below!

Baking

Home Roasted Pumpkin

You'll never want to buy canned pumpkin again after you've eaten your own home roasted pumpkin. Simple and delicious: plain, savory, or sweet

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 40

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Preserving

Servings pumpkin

Ingredients

1 pie pumpkin
Olive oil cooking spray
Salt and pepper or cinnamon and brown sugar optional

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
While the oven is preheating, cut the pumpkin in half with a sharp knife.
Using a large spoon, clean out the insides and seeds, saving the seeds to be roasted later.
Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Lay the pumpkins cut side down.
Roast for 25-40 minutes, depending on the size of your pumpkin. It is done when you can easily pierce the skin with a fork.
Remove from oven and allow to cool. Once cool, scrape the flesh from the skins. For smoother pumpkin, puree it using an immersion blender.

Notes

Options for eating:

Eat it straight from the skin. If you choose this option, I recommend making it sweet or savory with a sprinkle of a little cinnamon and brown sugar or salt and pepper before you roast it.

Measure it out for your favorite recipes and freeze it. Although many will say it only lasts a few months, I have had zero issues using year old frozen pumpkin.

Measure it out and bake right away. I often will roast one day and bake a few days later. It will keep in the fridge for up to a week in my experience.

Keyword fall, pumpkin, roasted vegetables

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!