Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins with Applesauce

Our entire family LOVES these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins with Applesauce!  My son makes them himself and eats the chocolate pumpkin treat for breakfast, snacks and dessert.  We’ve had a family debate about whether they are pumpkin muffins or pumpkin cupcakes.

The BEST Pumpkin Muffins with Chocolate Chips

Our family loves a good pumpkin bread.  Pumpkin Spice Bread is a classic and these muffins with applesauce and chocolate chips are the perfect spin on a traditional recipe!

These muffins so much we’ve made two batches in the last week alone!  During this time we’ve been testing the recipe and baking methods to get the best muffins with the optimum placement of chocolate chips.

Farmhouse Blueberry Muffins and the Best Strawberry Muffins are my all-time favorite muffin recipes, but my kids will choose these chocolate chip covered muffins every day of the week!   The toddler loves to pick the chocolate chips off and then has to be coaxed to eat the rest of the muffin.  Cut it in half so she can see more chocolate chips and it’s not a hard sell!

My husband’s aunt shared this recipe with us.  She took a picture of what might have been one of the first emails send in rural America.  A friend typed and emailed the recipe.  She printed it to save writing a recipe card.  These are the moments that the good ole days get a little easier.  This aunt is so kind and has shared several excellent recipes that I look forward to making soon!

When To Add Chocolate Chips to the Top of a Muffin?

We were trying to figure out when to add the chocolate chips to the top of muffins.  Adding chips when the pumpkin muffin batter is in the lined cupcake pans is the quickest and easiest method.  Putting the chips on before beginning to bake means they MAY burn a little bit during the 20-minute baking process.

Sprinkling chocolate chips on top of the muffins halfway through baking helps prevents the chips from burning.  It’s also a good time to sprinkle chips on because the muffin still has some sticky dough texture in the center that the chips easily stick to

Adding chips fifteen minutes through baking makes the chips look the best, but it is more difficult to get them to stick.

My friend Chef Alli shared that adding chips to the top of muffins will take a muffin recipe from good to great.  She does that here in her AMAZING Moist Chocolate Chip Muffins.

The moral of the story to adding chocolate chips is that you should decide how much chocolate you like.  I do love chocolate, but sometimes Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Icing satisfy a different sweet craving.  Either way you win!

How Full to Fill a Muffin Tin?

The original recipe calls for filling the muffin tins 3/4 full.  This makes muffins that are about level with the top of the liner when fully baked.  If adding chocolate chips they may stand up above the liner.

To get a rounded muffin we filled the tin almost full, as in 95% full.  These muffins will rise up above the liners and have a beautifully rounded top.  If adding chocolate chips they may be more likely to run off the top a little bit and slide down to the edges.

My personal preference is the smaller sized muffin because it’s a more appropriate snack or serving size.  A smaller muffin is also easier for our toddler to eat.  So keep your audience in mind when deciding how big to make the muffins.

How to Make Pumpkin Chip Muffins

1. Mix together eggs, sugar, pumpkin, oil and applesauce until smooth
2. In a separate bowl combine together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt
3. Slowly add the dry mixture to the first mixture, beat only until mixed
4. Fold in 1 cup of chocolate chips, reserve 1/2 cup to sprinkle on top of muffins if desired
5. Fill paper-lined muffin tins 3/4 full
6. Sprinkle reserved chocolate chips on top before baking OR halfway through baking to help prevent chips from burning
7. Bake at 400°F for 18 – 20 minutes

Tips for Making Pumpkin and Chocolate Chip Muffins with Applesauce

• To make more of a dessert sprinkle extra chocolate chips on top
• These muffins are very moist because they contain pureed pumpkin and applesauce
• Store in the refrigerator to increase shelf life
• Muffins are done when they no longer look sticky on top
• Cool on a wire rack

Other Easy Baked Goods for Brunch:

• Best All-Bran Muffins
• Banana Jumbos
• Easy Egg & Sausage Casserole
• Bran and Raisin Molasses Muffins
• Easy Banana Nut Muffins
• Farmhouse Zucchini Bread

Printable Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe