Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins with Streusel Topping

Tender, spiced, and crowned with a buttery streusel — this is the fall muffin recipe that earns its permanent place in your kitchen.

October in my kitchen smells exactly the way I want the whole world to smell. Cinnamon, nutmeg, butter, and something warm and earthy underneath it all, that is pumpkin chocolate chip muffins with streusel topping coming out of the oven.These are the muffins I reach for when fall finally shows up in North Carolina and I want something that makes the whole house feel like a hug. The spice is warm but not aggressive, the chocolate chips melt into soft pockets throughout the crumb, and that streusel topping, buttery and just a little crunchy, is the thing that makes people ask for the recipe before they have finished eating one.

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Why You Will Keep Making This Recipe

The original recipe has been in my files for years, and I have changed almost nothing about it, it’s one of my all time favorite recipes. The combination of brown and white sugar gives you a depth that plain granulated sugar cannot, and the buttermilk keeps the crumb tender in a way that surprises people, most muffins dry out by day two. These do not.

The spice blend is the other thing that sets them apart. Cinnamon is only the beginning. Nutmeg, ginger, a whisper of allspice and cloves, together they create that layered warmth that smells exactly like fall arriving. And the 60% chocolate chips are not an afterthought. They are the counterpoint that keeps the whole thing from tipping into one-note fall flavors sweetness.

Make the streusel first and let it sit while you put the batter together. Cold streusel pressed lightly into the raw batter bakes into a crunchy, buttery cap rather than melting into the muffin and disappearing. That is the detail that makes the difference.

Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins with streusel topping Ingredients

For the muffins:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

a pinch of allspice

a pinch of cloves

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

1/2 cup buttermilk,

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups 60% chocolate chips

For the streusel topping: 

1/4 cup cold butter

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

How to Make Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line your muffin tin with cupcake liners or spray well with cooking spray. This recipe makes 12 to 16 muffins depending on how generously you fill each cup.

Make the streusel first. In a small bowl combine flour and brown sugar, then cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter or your fingers until the mixture is crumbly with pea-sized bits of butter still visible. Set it aside in the refrigerator while you mix the batter — cold streusel is what gives you that satisfying crunch.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, cloves, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until everything is evenly combined. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, then add the pure pumpkin puree, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Stir until smooth.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold gently with a spatula until just combined. A few streaks are fine — overmixing makes tough muffins. Fold in the chocolate chips last.

Divide the muffin batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Retrieve the streusel from the refrigerator and sprinkle a generous amount over each muffin, pressing it in very gently so it adheres. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops are golden. Let them cool in the pan for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Tips and Variations

Use canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, the spices are already in your batter and the filling is too sweet. A Granny Smith apple peeled and cut into small cubes is a wonderful addition if you want to bring a little tartness to the mix. Chopped toasted walnuts or pecans fold in beautifully with the chocolate chips, and white chocolate chips are surprisingly good here if you want something a little sweeter and less rich. Use homemade pumpkin pie spice in place of the spices listed in the recipe.

If you do not have buttermilk on hand, stir a tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice into half a cup of whole milk and let it sit for five minutes. It works perfectly.

How to Store Pumpkin Muffins

Store cooled pumpkin chocolate chip streusel muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. They also freeze beautifully. Wrap each one individually in plastic wrap and freeze for up to three months. The best way reheat, thirty seconds in the microwave or five minutes in a 300-degree oven will bring them right back. The chocolate gets melty again and they taste like they just came out of the oven.

I hope these become a fall staple in your kitchen the way they have in mine, enjoy one with a cup of coffee, or tea for breakfast of=r a sweet fall treat. The cranberry apple muffins are another recipe I come back to every year, and if you are on a pumpkin baking run, the Pumpkin Banana Bread is worth adding to your afternoon.

If you make these, I would love to know, do you go classic with the 60% chocolate chips, or do you swap in something different? Leave a comment below and tell me.

You can also keep up with me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook for more recipes and everyday inspiration. And last but not least, if you like Pinecones & Acorns share it with a friend!

You Might Also Enjoy:

Cranberry Apple Muffins

Cranberry Orange Muffins with Candied Orange Peel

Cinnamon Roll Muffins

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins with Streusel Topping

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• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 12 muffins 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup of sugar

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ginger

pinch of allspice

pinch of cloves

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 large eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1/2 cup of buttermilk

1/4 cup of vegetable oil

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 cup 60% chocolate chips

Topping:

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup flour

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 F. Line muffin tins with paper liners or non-stick cooking spray.

Topping: Combine flour, brown sugar and butter, cut with pastry blender, or fingers until crumbly. Set aside.

In a large bowl mix flour, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, cloves, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl mix the eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix until just combined. Add chocolate chips. Then sprinkle topping on muffins. Bake until puffed and golden between 25-35 minutes. Let cool  in pan a few minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool to desired temperature.

Notes

Start checking the muffins at 25 minutes up to 35 depending upon the size of your muffin tin.

• Author: Elizabeth
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Method: Baked