Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes – pumpkin spice cupcakes studded with chocolate chips, topped with cream cheese frosting and chocolate sauce. This recipe is the perfect way to cure your pumpkin cravings this fall! Created by our contributor, Lindsay Conchar.

I don’t know about you, but as soon as summer starts winding down I get excited about pumpkin season. I’m pretty sure I let out a little squeal of excitement when I saw pumpkin spice coffee in the grocery store the other day. My kitchen is already stocked with that coffee and pumpkin spice creamer. I even had some pumpkin spice ice cream at an ice cream shop the other day and it was so darn good! This is one of my favorite things to look forward to every fall.

These cupcakes are even better than your average pumpkin dessert because not only are they pumpkin, but they also include chocolate. Plus, they are really easy to make. If you’re keeping score, that’s two wins for one recipe!

For the cupcakes, I wanted to make sure that the chocolate chips wouldn’t all sink to the bottom. Rather than using the creaming method, I use a simpler method of mixing things together and the chocolate chips stay evenly spread throughout the cupcakes. I also played around with the amount of butter, milk and vegetable oil to make sure they were both moist and not too dense. Reducing the butter and adding the vegetable oil helps to lighten the cupcakes a little bit but still allow for plenty of fat and moisture in the cupcakes.

The final result is a wonderfully moist cupcake that is just light enough and still keeps the chocolate chips from sinking to the bottom. I even used full-sized chocolate chips to make sure you get plenty of chocolate in every bite! I love the final result!

I topped the cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. It’s always a wonderful frosting to pair with pumpkin and I think it’s even better with the chocolate mixed in. It balances everything really well. I topped my cupcakes with a drizzle of chocolate sauce to give them that lovely finishing touch! Feel free to add your favorite finish to them and enjoy!

PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP CUPCAKES
a cupcake recipe by Lindsay Conchar
(makes 12 cupcakes)

For the Cupcakes:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1/4 cup vegetable oil
5 tablespoons milk, room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, unpacked
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
3/4 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
2. Add butter, oil and milk to a large mixer bowl and whisk until smooth.
3. Add the brown sugar and whisk until smooth.
4. Add the vanilla extract and eggs and whisk until smooth.
5. In a separate medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and salt.
6. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until smooth.
7. Fold in the pumpkin puree and chocolate chips until well combined.
8. Fill each cupcake liner about ¾ full.
9. Bake cupcakes for 21-23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few crumbs.
10. Remove cupcakes from the oven and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

For the Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup salted butter, room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate sauce, optional

1. Combine the cream cheese and butter and mix until smooth.
2. Add about half of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
3. Add the vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
4. Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
5. Use a large round piping tip to pipe swirls onto the cupcakes. Top with a drizzle of chocolate sauce, if desired.

Store cupcakes in the refrigerator. Serve at room temperature.

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YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY:
Classic Pumpkin Cupcakes
Pumpkin Tiramisu Cake
Pumpkin Cake with Pumpkin Seed Brittle
Pumpkin Bundt Cake
Pumpkin Spice Free Printable
Kitty Cat in a Pumpkin Cake

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Find more cake recipes, cupcake recipes and tutorials in our Fall Baking Gallery!