Aunt Joyce’s Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

As I talked about in my Zucchini Bread post, my Great Aunt Joyce (my grandmother’s older sister) lived a few minutes down the road and brought us fresh baked muffins almost every Saturday growing up. One of the few pumpkin flavored baked goods I grew up with were her version of Pumpkin muffins. Some weeks she added pecans, others chocolate chips, and often she used dried cranberries.

A few weeks back during our weekly chat, Aunt Joyce told me she was making Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins for her neighbors, and I realized I had not yet made any this year. As we continued talking about baking, she planted the seed for this recipe below. She hypothesized that the Zucchini Bread that I had veganized from her recipe would possibly work with a swap of pumpkin puree for the zucchini. Apparently, that was one of the ways she makes pumpkin muffins. So, I decided to give it a try. That first batch had the right texture but needed more spices and sweetness. After another few batches, I have settled on the recipe below. My picky husband has announced this is the best Pumpkin Muffin recipe I’ve ever made (and I’ve made quiet a few through the years). Try them for yourself and I'll let you be the judge.

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Aunt Joyce’s Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins (Veganized)

Ingredients

3 Flax Eggs – (3 Tbsp Flax Seed Meal + 2/3c Water)

270g / 2 ¼ c All-Purpose Flour

106g / 1 c minus 1 Tbsp Whole Wheat Flour (or more AP Flour)

1 tsp Baking Soda

¾ tsp Baking Powder

2 tsp Cinnamon

1 T Pumpkin Pie Spice

½ tsp Cardamon (optional)

1 tsp Salt

149g / ¾ c Oil (Vegetable, Avocado, etc.)

275g / 1 ¼ c Raw Sugar (or granulated)

1 tsp Vanilla

40g / 2 Tbsp Non-Dairy Milk

12g / ½ Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

250g / 1 1/3 c Pumpkin Puree

170g / 1 c Chocolate Chips (Semi-Sweet or Dark)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix flax egg - 3 flax seed meal with & 2/3 cup water to allow it to gel.

3. In a medium bowl, sift or whisk together the 270g (2 cup) all-purpose flour, 106g (1 cup minus 1 tablespoon) whole wheat flour (or more AP flour), 1 tsp baking soda. ¾ tsp baking powder, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice, ½ tsp cardamon, and 1 tsp salt. Set aside.

4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the 149g (¾ c) oil and 248g (1 1/4 c) sugar. Whisk in the flax egg and continue mixing for two minutes until slightly fluffy.

5. Add the 1 tsp Vanilla, 40g (2 Tbsp) non-dairy milk, and 12g (½ Tbsp) apple cider vinegar and beat until combined.

6. Stir in the flour mixture until only a few floury dry areas remain. Add in the zucchini and nuts (if using) and stir until evenly distributed. Be careful to no over mix.

7. Pour into a greased or lined muffin tins and fill 2/3 of the way full. Should fill 12-18 depending on the size of your tins. Bake for 22-26 minutes or until a toothpick comes out cleanly. Allow to cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before attempting to remove.