Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

I love everything pumpkin during the fall, and holiday season.  I’ve shared my recipes for Pumpkin Scones, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, Pumpkin Macarons, and Pumpkin Muffins.  Now this fall and holiday season it’s time to share my recipe for Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Cupcakes.

I think that milk chocolate chips are the perfect compliment to everything pumpkin.  I’ve topped these light and fluffy cupcakes with a yummy pumpkin buttercream frosting and mini chocolate chips.  To get the most pumpkin flavor in the buttercream frosting, I squeezed out most of the liquid from the pumpkin puree.  Pumpkin and milk chocolate chips, are a wonderful combination of flavors.

Let’s BAKE!

INGREDIENTS

PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP CUPCAKES
2 eggs
1/3 cup canola oil (80 ml)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar (88 grams)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
15 ounces canned pumpkin, puree (not pumpkin pie mix), divided (425 grams)
1 cup unbleached flour (130 grams)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips (90 grams)

PUMPKIN BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
1/2 cup butter, room temperature (114 grams)
2 ounces cream cheese, softened (56 grams)
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
4 cups sifted powdered sugar (400 grams)
1 teaspoon cream, or milk
mini chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP CUPCAKES

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F.  Line 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, brown sugar and vanilla extract until smooth, 1-2 minutes.  Add 8 oz. (277 grams) pumpkin puree, whisk until smooth; set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.  Using a sieve, add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.  Before stirring the mixture, add milk chocolate chips to dry ingredients, mixing until just combined (do not overmix). Using a scoop, divide batter evenly amount the muffin cups (they should be about 3/4 full).

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 18-22 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 205 degrees F., or a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven onto a wire cooling rack, let cool for about 5-10 minutes, then remove cupcakes from muffin tin. Let cool completely.

PUMPKIN BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Using a tea towel, squeeze excess liquid from 7 oz. (198 grams) pumpkin puree (you should have 1/4 to 1/3 cup of pumpkin puree remaining).  In a stand mixer on medium high speed, cream together butter, cream cheese, and pumpkin pie spice, until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes), add the pumpkin puree, beat on medium speed until light and fluffy (1-2 minutes).  On low speed add 1/2 of the powdered sugar until combined, then beat on medium-high speed until fluffy (3-5 minutes).  On low speed add remaining powdered sugar until combined, then beat on medium-high speed until fluffy (3-5 minutes). 

Fit a 16″ pastry bag with a #1M open star tip, fill bag with pumpkin buttercream.  Pipe on cooled cupcakes.  Sprinkle mini chocolate chips on top of each cupcake.

Serve! (if not eating right away, store in refrigerator)

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