Chocolate Pumpkin Swirl Muffins

By Samantha Seneviratne

Published Oct. 20, 2022

Chocolate Pumpkin Swirl Muffins
NYTCREDIT: Kate Sears for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Hadas Smirnoff.
Total Time
1 hour
Rating
4(1,018)
Comments
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These chocolate-and-pumpkin muffins make a perfect breakfast on the go, the two flavors united by a hint of cinnamon. If you’d like to dress them up for a party, start by adding 2 tablespoons of finely chopped chocolate to the chocolate batter before scooping it into the cups and skip the sugar topping. Bake and cool the muffins, then top them with a simple cream cheese frosting: Beat together 8 ounces softened cream cheese, 4 tablespoons room-temperature unsalted butter and ½ cup sifted confectioners’ sugar. Spread the frosting liberally on the muffins and top with chocolate sprinkles.

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Ingredients

Yield:12 muffins
  • 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
Ingredient Substitution Guide
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

  1. 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.

  2. Step 2

    Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Divide the batter in half.

  3. Step 3

    Add the cocoa powder to one half of the batter and mix until just combined.

  4. 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.

  5. Step 5

    Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 22 to 26 minutes.

  6. 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.

Tip
  • The texture of pumpkin purées vary from brand to brand. Thinner purées will yield more delicate muffins, but they will still be delicious.

Ratings

4 out of 5
1,018 user ratings
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Comments

kristen bartlett

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.

Valerie A.

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.

Andreabakes

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.

TG

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!

Gayle

I skipped the sugary topping and used whole wheat flour for quarter of the flour so I could convince myself these scrumptious muffins were healthy treats. The chocolate batter was thick and paste-like, so I put it in the silicone muffin cups first and added the orange, giving it a tiny swirl. For a couple, I left the chocolate on the bottom and topped it with the orange matter, and it was just as wonderful. Very easy to remove from a silicone muffin pan.

SK

I made these as mini muffins and cut the recipe in 1/2 since it's just 2 of us. I decreased the granulated sugar and substituted cream for yogurt (I didn't have yogurt in the house). These were moist and delicious! Baking time was 13 minutes.

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