A nutrient-rich pumpkin muffin recipe using canned pumpkin and Trader Joe’s chocolate chunks (or a Trader Joe’s pumpkin bread modification with chocolate chunks).

I’m not somebody who bakes often. I typically need an “occasion” on the calendar to motivate my baking.

When my daughter told us she was running in the Big Apple Half Marathon, I decided this was one of those occasions to finally create a recipe for pumpkin chocolate chunk muffins.  

My husband and I were planning to cheer her on, so I made a batch of these muffins and brought them with us.

I figured she could freeze them for a quick breakfast on her way to work.

The muffins were a big hit. They turned out to be hearty, chocolate-ly, and a welcome twist on pumpkin spice muffins.

Pumpkin Muffins with Chocolate Chunks

The idea for this pumpkin muffin recipe came from a whole wheat pumpkin spice bread I made last year. It was loaded with pumpkin puree.

Since then, I’ve been dreaming about modifying the recipe into muffins.

On a recent trip to Trader Joes, I noticed they had chocolate chunks available (not always the case), so I picked up a bag.

(Trader Joes chocolate chips are my favorite brand, so I was excited to use the chocolate chunks in a new recipe.)

Immediately, I thought they’d be a good addition to the cupcake sized pumpkin muffins I‘d been wanting to make.

That’s how I came up with this recipe for pumpkin muffins with chocolate chips.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Muffins Recipe

In this recipe, I used canned pumpkin, a combination of spices, and chocolate chunks. The other ingredients are standard baking additions you’d likely have in your pantry.

Or, if you’re really in a pinch for time, do a Trader Joe’s pumpkin bread modification. Grab a box of Trader Joe’s Pumpkin bread and add their chocolate chunks to the mix!

The most important tip for making tender, melt-in-your-mouth muffins is to separately mix the wet and dry ingredients and then bring them together just enough so that they are mixed.

Overmixing will result in a tough, dry muffin.

No Bueno.

Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice

I didn’t have any pumpkin spice around so I mixed cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger together.

This comes through as a gentle hint of spice in the muffin.

A Cupcake-Sized Muffin

I used my regular muffin tins and filled them ¾ of the way full. The result? A nice-sized muffin, not too small and not too big.

I dotted the top of the muffin with two or three chocolate chunks to give them that professional bakery look (Yes, I was feeling very baker-esque.)

Here’s the recipe – I hope you like it! They are delicious fresh out of the oven but also easy to freeze and pop out one at a time.

Perfect for Breakfast or a Snack

These are great as a stand-alone snack or pair them up with one of the following breakfast ideas:

• Egg in a Hole
• or these are perfect for toddler pumpkin muffins — just downsize the amount of chocolate chunks you add (maybe one per muffin?!) and add these to your Mega List of Healthy Toddler Snack Ideas

Need More Family Food Inspiration?

Check out my page of recipes! Or my recipe booklets…