Happy fall, Oles! On Monday, Sept. 22, the autumn equinox started. With leaves turning brown and orange, what better way to celebrate the chilly weather than baking something? ’Tis the season for pumpkin. Make your way down to the shared kitchen in your dorm and try to ignore the state of the oven. Here’s what you need for some delicious chocolate chip pumpkin muffins. Ready in just 30 minutes, you’ll only need 12 ingredients. This recipe provides around 30 muffins, so make sure the kitchen has more than one baking pan.
Ingredients:
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 can (16 oz.) of pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups vegetable oil
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips*
You will also need muffin cups.
*The fun part about the chocolate chips? You can buy whichever ones you’d like (regular, mini, dark chocolate, etc.). Feel free to add less than 12 ounces if you prefer. You’re welcome to add a bit more, but don’t overdo it: it will affect the end result of the muffins.
Directions:
Crack the eggs into one bowl first to ensure there are no shells, then beat the yolk properly before mixing it in with the following ingredients: the sugar, pumpkin, vanilla, and oil, and mix until smooth.
In a separate bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients. Then mix them into the previous pumpkin mixture. Fold the chocolate chips into the batter.
Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups ¾ of the way full.
Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 16-20 minutes. Make sure you watch the oven! Every oven is different, especially the ones on campus. If the muffins look like they are on the cusp of burning, take them out and test with a toothpick by putting the toothpick down the center of any muffin; if it comes out coated in batter, put the muffins back in. The goal is for the toothpick to come out completely dry (minus the melted chocolate, I would assume).
Once the toothpick is as close to dry as you can get it, let the muffins cool. Then take them out of the pan and enjoy!
