Chocolate Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Looking for a muffin recipe that comes together fast, pleases picky eaters, and doesn’t leave you with 17 dirty dishes? These Chocolate Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins have been our family’s go-to recipe for decades. You’ll see 2- or 3-ingredient versions of this floating around online (usually just cake mix and canned pumpkin) but trust me: the extra 3 ingredients (plus love, of course) are what take these from “fine” to absolutely craveable.
With just 6 ingredients and endless variations depending on the cake mix you use, they’re a hit at school parties, sports teams, hikes, and even breakfast (because what toddler complains about muffins?). Bonus: no added fat, no added sugar, and nobody ever guesses the secret ingredient is pumpkin. These muffins freeze beautifully, travel well, and always get recipe requests, so keep it handy. You’re going to share it again soon.
Chocolate Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 box Chocolate cake mix Each kind changes the flavor a bit. Try Devil's Food, German Chocolate, Red Velvet, or even Spice cake mix!
- 1 tsp pure vanilla
- 1 can pumpkin (NOT the pie filling)
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice or just cinnamon
- 1 cup chocolate chips Dark chocolate is best, but use what you have. Mini chips also work.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 24 muffin tins with cooking spray.
- Combine the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed.
- KEY STEP: Continue beating for 2 minutes on medium speed until batter is light and fluffy. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Fill muffin tins 2/3 of the way full. (I use an ice cream scoop.)
- Bake for 20 minutes until the centers are firm to the touch.
- Cool completely and store in an airtight container on the counter.
Notes
If your family doesn’t gobble them up right away, you can freeze the muffins in a zipper bag for up to a month. To defrost, wrap one in a paper towel and microwave for 25 seconds.
Whip up this delicious treat, pour yourself a cozy cup of tea, and settle in with one of my Cassandra Sato Mysteries! Nothing pairs better with a fresh-from-the-oven snack than a twisty mystery to keep you on the edge of your seat. 🍵🔍
You’re always alone in the kitchen……so go ahead and lick the spoon, bend the rules, and turn mistakes into magic. I won’t tell if you don’t. Happy reading and happy baking!
Kelly Brakenhoff is the author of 17 books and a seasoned ASL interpreter. She splits her writing energy between two series: cozy mysteries set on a college campus and children’s books featuring Duke the Deaf Dog.
In 2025, two of her children’s books were selected for the CBC Favorites Award Lists, honored by teachers and librarians nationwide for excellence in children’s literature. Parents, kids, and educators love the Duke the Deaf Dog books and activity guides because they introduce ASL and the Deaf community through engaging stories.
And if you enjoy a smart female sleuth, want to learn more about Deaf culture, or have lived in a place where livestock outnumber people, the Cassandra Sato Mystery series will have you connecting the dots faster than a group project thrown together the night before it’s due.
A proud mom to four adults, head of the dog-snuggling department, and grandma to a growing brood of perfectly behaved grandkids, Kelly and her husband call Nebraska home.