OK, this year I am completely obsessed with pumpkin. I’ve always loved pumpkin-flavored coffee and made some great pumpkin recipes last year, but something has come over me this year. It’s like I’ve been zapped by the pumpkin fairy, because I’ve been wanting pumpkin everything. Everything.

My husband has been getting a little annoyed with these pumpkin recipes and the huge stash of canned pumpkin in the pantry — but somehow, he always likes to taste everything.

As you know by now, I’m a chocoholic. Chocolate just makes life better. I wanted to experiment and combine my two loves, chocolate and pumpkin.

Chocolate Pumpkin Streusel Muffins. (Andrea Mathis / Beautiful Eats & Things)

The result was these decadent Chocolate Pumpkin Streusel Muffins. These muffins are so moist and fluffy, and guess what? I used one-third less sugar compared to the average muffin recipe. So I guess that makes this recipe sorta healthy-ish.

I usually make standard-sized muffins, but this time I wanted huge, coffee-shop-sized muffins. I used this oversized muffin pan to make these muffins and they turned out great. To make these Chocolate Pumpkin Streusel Muffins even more perfect, I topped them with an easy pumpkin seed streusel. It was absolutely delish. Go ahead and give these muffins a try. But I must warn you — you may turn into a pumpkin fanatic, like me.

Chocolate Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

Click here for a printable version.

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 2 eggs
• 3 teaspoons vanilla
• ¼ cup oil
• ½ cup milk chocolate chips
• Optional: 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 2 tablespoons crushed pumpkin seeds for streusel topping; 2 tablespoons melted milk chocolate for drizzle.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin spice and sugar.
4. In a medium bowl, combine canned pumpkin, eggs, vanilla and oil.
5. Add wet mixture to dry ingredients and stir until combined. Be careful not to over-stir the batter, which can result in tough muffins.
6. Fold in the chocolate chips and spoon batter into muffin tins.
7. If desired, combine brown sugar and crushed pumpkin seeds and sprinkle on top of each muffin.
8. Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes, or until a fork comes out clean.
9. If desired, drizzle with melted chocolate before serving. Enjoy.

Andrea Mathis is a registered dietitian and owner of Beautiful Eats & Things. For more great recipes, visit beautifuleatsandthings.com.