Activity
Bake Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
These lightly sweet muffins made with pureed pumpkin and chocolate chips are a delicious fall treat. These are dense muffins, reminiscent of pumpkin bread, and are delightful topped with orange cream cheese frosting. They're a cinch to make, and they'll give your kids a little extra math practice, without the moans and groans.
For an extra kick of fiber, try adding a tablespoon or two of ground flax meal. Your muffins will be slightly thicker, but they'll taste just as good.
What You Need:
- ½ cup golden brown sugar
- ½ cup organic applesauce
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 10-ounce can organic pumpkin puree
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chocolate chips
For the Orange Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons orange juice
- 4 drops red food coloring
- 1 drop yellow food coloring
What You Do:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, applesauce, eggs, and pumpkin puree. Set aside.
- Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and whisk with the pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips.
- Slowly pour the pumpkin mixture into the dry ingredients and stir, using slow, deliberate strokes with a wooden spoon or spatula. Do this just until you don’t see any flour. Be careful not to over-stir, or you will end up with muffins that are rubbery and tough.
- Portion the batter into a greased muffin tin (grease with nonstick cooking spray instead of butter, oil, or shortening for a healthier muffin), filling each cup about halfway. The easiest way to do this is to use a large spoon with the help of a smaller spoon to drop the batter where you want it.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the muffins bounce back to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. While the muffins are baking, follow steps 7-11 to prepare the cream cheese frosting.
- In a small bowl, sift the powdered sugar through a sieve to remove lumps. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, cream the butter and cream cheese together with an electric mixer. Start on the slowest setting, then gradually increase the speed until you get a smooth and creamy consistency.
- Stir in the orange juice and vanilla.
- Drop in the food coloring and stir until the frosting is a nice, even shade of orange.
- When the muffins are done, remove them to a cooling rack and let cool 5 minutes in the tray, then remove the muffins to the rack. Allow the muffins to cool completely before frosting.
- Spread the frosting on the muffins with a spreader, or pipe it on using a plastic zip-top bag. To pipe, spoon the frosting into a quart-sized bag and snip off the bottom corner.
Decorate the muffins any way you wish: with sprinkles, a thin twist of orange rind, or nothing at all!
**This recipe is peanut free, tree nut free, and vegetarian.
Related learning resources
Complete the Story: Marnie's Muffins
Worksheet
Complete the Story: Marnie's Muffins
Give her this story starter worksheet, and she'll help Marnie figure out how to bake her muffins!
4th grade
Reading & Writing
Worksheet
Chocolate Snowballs
Activity
Chocolate Snowballs
Here's a sweet holiday recipe to make with your fifth grader: bake scrumptious sugar-dusted chocolate snowballs! Serve them at your next Christmas party.
4th grade
Activity
Bake Pizza Muffins
Activity
Bake Pizza Muffins
...Bake the muffins for 20 minutes or until they are golden brown.
baking, recipes, snacks, pizza muffins, kids' cooking, kids' recipes...
4th grade
Activity
Bake Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce
Activity
Bake Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce
This decadent bread pudding, dressed up with pumpkin and warm spices, is a holiday show-stopper.
3rd grade
Math
Activity
Bake Colonial Pumpkin Pie
Activity
Bake Colonial Pumpkin Pie
...Bake it nicely. Place the pie in the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and dry....
3rd grade
Social studies
Activity
Pumpkin Investigation Guidelines
Worksheet
Pumpkin Investigation Guidelines
Designed to accompany the Pumpkin Investigation activity, kids will use these pumpkin investigation guidelines to predict and record information about their own pumpkin, such as how much it weighs, how
3rd grade
Math
Worksheet
Pumpkin Nut Bread
Activity
Pumpkin Nut Bread
Here's a pumpkin nut bread recipe that makes for a wonderful project on a crisp autumn afternoon.
5th grade
Math
Activity
Chocolate: A Short and Sweet History
Worksheet
Chocolate: A Short and Sweet History
In this fascinating worksheet, children learn about the history of chocolate, from its ancient ceremonial use to the invention of the chocolate candy bar.
4th grade
Reading & Writing
Worksheet
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Activity
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Roasting pumpkin seeds makes for a great Halloween activity, and a healthy snack!
preschool
Science
Activity
Pumpkin Pancakes
Activity
Pumpkin Pancakes
Flip your way into the fall season with this easy and delicious pumpkin pancake recipe that your child can make on weekend mornings!
4th grade
Activity
Pumpkin Designs
Activity
Pumpkin Designs
Do something totally unique and new with a pumpkin this year! Practice designing patterns with stripes, zigzags, or geometric shapes. The sky's the limit!
2nd grade
Arts & crafts
Activity
Pumpkin Investigation
Activity
Pumpkin Investigation
Incorporate some math and science thinking into your annual fall fun with this pumpkin investigation activity!
3rd grade
Math
Activity
See this activity in a set:
Fall Feast! 10 Scrumptious Recipes