If a muffin could talk, this one would say “I’m the family favorite!” and it would not be wrong! It’s also the favorite of many neighbors and friends – regardless of the season. We’re talking year round love for these scrumptious pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. I’m opening up the archives on this beloved recipe and sharing the OG version for the very first time here on the blog. I’ve been making these particular muffins for over 35 years and she’s a winner on so many levels. Easy to follow, bakes up perfect every time, fills your kitchen with all the aromas of the season, and is one you might just find yourself making all year round once you try one!
A Recipe Straight from Patsy’s Kitchen
These were the first muffins my Mother in law Patsy taught me how to make. She told me all her tricks and over the years I’ve added a few more of my own. In fact one of my sister in laws messaged me recently to say “I would say you took my mom’s recipe and elevated it. They just look SO GOOD!” …and that’s a compliment I’ll take any day!
Patsy was well known for her muffins and all around kitchen prowess – it was an honor to learn from her. She found so much joy being in the kitchen making food for the people she loved. Patsy is the inspiration for so many muffins and recipes I’ve created over the years – we sadly lost her to colon cancer in early 2006. Keeping her memory alive and sharing her recipes with so many is such a meaningful way to get to know her.
What Makes These Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins Special
There are a lot of pumpkin chocolate chip muffin recipes out there, and most of them reach for oil as the fat. I get it – oil is easy. But Patsy’s recipe uses butter, and that one choice changes everything. The crumb is more tender, the flavor is richer, and the muffin smells incredible coming out of the oven. Paired with a generous tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice and a full cup of chocolate chips, these are the moist pumpkin muffins that make people ask for the recipe every single time!
Butter, Not Oil
Melted butter gives these muffins a depth of flavor that oil simply cannot match. Make sure it’s slightly cooled before adding it to the eggs so you’re not cooking your eggs in hot butter – an important tip that makes all the difference in the final texture!
The Batter Rest
Once you fold your wet and dry ingredients together, cover the bowl and let the batter rest while the oven preheats. This step lets the flour fully hydrate, which means a more even bake and a muffin that stays moist longer. Don’t skip it — it’s Patsy’s secret and it works!
The High-Heat Start
Starting the muffins at 425°F for the first five minutes creates a burst of steam that pushes the batter upward before the crust sets. That’s how you get those gorgeous lofty muffin tops that make these look like bakery-style pumpkin muffins. After five minutes, lower the temperature to 375°F and don’t open that oven door in between. Promise that this technique is a total game changer!
A Note on Pumpkin Pie Spice
Every bottle and brand of pumpkin pie spice is a little bit different – it’s a blend of spices and so that makes sense! For me I’ve been using the Pumpkin Pie Blend from San Francisco Herb Company for decades. You do have to buy it in bulk, but at the rate at which I make these muffins I go through it pretty quickly and I keep my stash in the freezer for top freshness. That’s a tasty tip worth stealing! Find your favorite pumpkin spice blend and get busy making these muffins.
Tips for Perfect Pumpkin Muffins Every Time
Use room temperature eggs. They incorporate into the batter more smoothly and help the muffins rise evenly. Pull them out 30 minutes before you start and you’re good to go! If you forget, letting them set in some warm water right from the tap can also do the job.
Don’t overmix. Once the wet and dry ingredients are combined, stop. Over-mixing develops the gluten and gives you tough muffins – and nobody wants these glorious muffins to be anything but moist and tender!
Fill the liners generously. These muffins are meant to be lofty, bakery style even. Scoop the batter high into lined muffin tins – you should get 8 to 9 muffins, not 12. If you’re getting 12 yours will be flatter and smaller, and that’s not what we’re going for here! I use a #8 cookie scoop for an almost perfect amount for loft muffins. I started using unbleached parchment muffin liners in my muffin tins decades ago – it makes clean up of your muffins tins a breeze!
The spring-back test. Muffins are done when the center springs back when gently pressed. A toothpick works too, but the spring-back test is more reliable and what I always use. If you add additional chocolate chips on top before baking be sure to avoid them when touching the muffin doneness, that chocolate will be hot!
Cool in the pan for 4 minutes only. After that, move them to a cooling rack so the bottoms don’t steam and go soft. And when isn’t a perfectly bottomed muffin worth the effort?!
Want a Paleo Version?
If you need a Paleo variation of this beloved muffin, I’ve got you covered! Check out my 2nd iteration of this recipe, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip 2.0. The original paleo version I made back in 2016 still lives on the blog too – the pics are epic (not in a good way!) and the ingredient list is long. I consider this space not only a recipe site but a journal of my kitchen adventures over the last decade, so it will stay. But if you want to take a trip down memory lane with me, you’re welcome to check it out!
Need a Gluten Free option?
If you need to adapt this muffin to be strictly gluten free and not paleo, you could easily sub in King Arthur Measure for Measure or Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour – depending on your dietary needs one of these should do the trick beautifully. If you want to test it out, I always suggest making a half batch initially to see how you like the results. This way, you’re not risking as many ingredients. If you do try a gluten free variation, please let me know how they turn out!
More Muffin Recipes You’ll Love
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins 2.0 – the paleo upgrade
- Browse all Back Porch Paleo Muffin recipes – Muffin’ To It!
- Cran-Apple Snack Cake – another cozy fall bake for the season
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins (The 35-Year Family Recipe)
Course: BreakfastCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy8
servings20
minutes23
minutesIngredients
1⅔ cup all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp vanilla baking salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup plain pumpkin puree
½ cup butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips
- optional garnish
Additional chocolate chips & sugar
Directions
- In a large mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Whisk to fully combine then toss in chocolate chips, set aside.
- Add the eggs, pumpkin puree, melted butter and vanilla to another mixing bowl – whisk well to combine and make sure all the eggs are fully incorporated.
- Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients and using a rubber spatula fold ingredients together, mixing until dry ingredients are fully mixed in. Cover bowl with a loose kitchen towel and allow the batter to “rest” so that everything gets fully hydrated.
- While batter rests, preheat your oven to 425°F – prepare muffin tins by lining with parchment or silicone liners. You should get 8-9 standard muffins.
- Once batter has rested, scoop into muffin tins and place in the oven. Bake at 425°F for ONLY 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, reduce oven temperature to 375°F (don’t open that oven door) and bake for an additional 15-18 minutes or until the center of the muffins spring back.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the muffin tin for 4 minutes then remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- These do freeze beautifully, simply place that cooling rack with muffins on top (inside a baking tray, gotta keep those crumbs from landing on all your frozen things) to freeze solid. Once they’re frozen, you can place them in a freezer safe zipper bag and return to the freezer. When you’re ready to enjoy, remove however many you need and either allow to come to room temperature or warm in the microwave for about 50 secs.
If you make these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins I would absolutely love to see them! Tag me on Instagram or drop a comment below. These are Patsy’s pride and joy and I know she would be so happy to see them bringing people joy all these years later. Happy fall baking! 🎃🧡
