I love this time of year. Temperatures are falling and the leaves are turning golden and orange. It had been a tough year agriculture wise. As harvest approaches next week, we are looking forward to making wine and enjoying the bounty of the season with so many of you who continue to make it all possible.
And who doesn't love the pumpkin recipes this time of year. I know I do. They are comforting to eat on these very cold days.
This one is particularly yummy and simple to make. My husband and oldest son loved these. Loved them. Pumpkin and chocolate go remarkably well together.
Make these for your October and November get-togethers. They are a sure hit.
I love these baking cups, they are so much nicer and fancier looking than regular cupcake holders. They are in the baking aisle at Walmart.
Streusel-Topped Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
From Our Best Bites
Makes 2 dozen
1 Spice cake mix (I used Betty Crocker)
1 15 ounce can pumpkin
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 12 ounce package chocolate chips
Streusel Topping
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
3 tablespoons butter
Ignore the cake box directions. Preheat oven to 350o F. Line 2 twelve-cup muffin tins* with cupcake liners and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine cake mix, pumpkin, sour cream, oil, eggs and vanilla. Mix on low for 30 seconds, then beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes more, until mixture is smooth. Stir in chocolate chips.
Divide the batter evenly into the cupcake liners. Whisk together the flour, sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Using two knives, a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut or smush together the butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the topping over the batter. Bake the muffins for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
*Because I always make my muffins larger, I was able to make about 16 muffins using a heaping 1/4 cup of batter for each muffin. These also took about 40 minutes to cook.
Cathy runs her own vineyard and winery in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. She is a food writer forDavis Life Magazine and blogs daily about wine, food and everydayliving. She lives with her husbandand two sons. You can visit her at noblepig.com.