Chocolate Pumpkin Swirl Muffins
Published Oct. 20, 2022
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Ingredients
- 2cups/256 grams all-purpose flour
- 1tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1teaspoon baking powder
- ¾teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- ½teaspoon baking soda
- 1cup/200 grams granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
- ¾cup/165 grams packed light or dark brown sugar
- ½cup vegetable oil
- 1(15-ounce) can pumpkin purée (about 1¾ cups); see Tip
- 2large eggs
- ¼cup plain whole-milk yogurt
- 1½teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½cup/47 grams Dutch-processed cocoa powder, sifted
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)
316 calories; 11 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 53 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 32 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 222 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper cups. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and baking soda. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugars, oil, pumpkin purée, eggs, yogurt and vanilla extract.
- Step 2
Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Divide the batter in half.
- Step 3
Add the cocoa powder to one half of the batter and mix until just combined.
- Step 4
Add alternating scoops of each batter to the muffin cups until you’ve used it all up. Using a butter knife, swirl the batters together without combining them fully. Sprinkle the tops generously with granulated sugar.
- Step 5
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 22 to 26 minutes.
- Step 6
Let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove the muffins from the pan and let them stand on the rack to cool completely. The muffins will keep for up to 5 days at room temperature, in an airtight container.
- The texture of pumpkin purées vary from brand to brand. Thinner purées will yield more delicate muffins, but they will still be delicious.
Private Notes
Comments
These were delicious and a big hit with my family! I did significantly reduce the sugar as follows: half cup brown sugar & quarter cup of granulated.
Made the following adjustments: cut sugars by about 1/3; added a dash of nutmeg, dash of ginger, and dash of cardamom; used 1/2 whole wheat flour. These are great! Still quite sweet but not overly sweet for an indulgent muffin. Despite the whole wheat flour, they are light and fluffy. I added the chocolate first and then swirled with a skewer, which I twirled around while also mixing. I think 10-12 twirl/mixes is just about right to get a good swirl.
To those that write how this recipe wasn’t great - if you change a baking recipe don’t be surprised if it doesn’t work. Baking is a science and there are ratios for a successful bake. Once that’s established you can riff away. Check your oven temps, too.
Always an excellent recipe. The flavors work very well together and you get flavors of both in each bite with the swirl. I have added chocolate chips once and prefer it this way! Something I have tried changing slightly to help with the swirl is adding a little water to the chocolate half. I find the batter to be much stiffer with the addition of the cocoa powder. I did only a couple tbsp for a tripled recipe and it helped a bit, might try more next time.
Mixing two different batters to create the swirl was a bit of a faff, especially because I made 36 mini muffins instead of 12 large. It was a lot of portioning. Additionally, the cocoa powder makes half the batter quite stiff, while the plain pumpkin batter is loose, and they don’t mix readily. My recommendation is to plan ahead to make the last layer the orange batter—it spreads more nicely on the top of the muffins, so the swirls are more artistic. When chocolate is the last layer, it’s less aesthetic. Here’s an annoyingly adapted recipe for other parents who are using the muffin as a time-honored vehicle to improve our children’s diets. 1) I reduced both sugars by 25% (150 g granulated, 110 g brown) 1) I added 15 g each of wheat bran and ground flax. This addition is relatively imperceptible but increases fiber significantly. I make mini muffins, and the kids get as much fiber from two of those as they do from an apple—2.7 grams! 3) For increased palatability, I added five mini chocolate chips after the first drop of batter. Not sure it was really needed, but my teenager just called these “delectable,” so maybe it was worth it. 4) I skip the sprinkle of sugar on top. There are enough people adding extra sugar to our diets, and this is a humble home kitchen.
I've made these a few times now and only have one issue. When the batter is split and cocoa is only added to one half, that half is incredibly dry and the cocoa doesn't mix all the way. I just add the cocoa with the rest of the dry ingredients. Of course, this takes away the marbling, but they still taste delicious!