These perfectly-spiced pumpkin muffins are soft and tender, studded with chocolate, and topped with a buttery spiced crumb. They’re also quick and easy thanks to a short-cut of a boxed cake mix! A full can of pumpkin adds flavor and tenderness. These are so easy you’ll be making them all season long!
Ingredient and Equipment Notes
- Spice Cake – I have been partial to Duncan Hines cake mixes for years, I’ve found them to be high quality and consistent so that’s usually what I grab. In recent years spice cake has been a little harder to find in my stores, so in this batch I’ve photographed I’m using a Betty Crocker mix and it also turned out great.
- Pumpkin – you’ll use a full 15oz can of pumpkin puree. I usually buy Libby’s brand. Just be sure to buy pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling.
- Chocolate chips – I prefer semi-sweet chocolate chips for most all baking, but you can use your favorite. I also really think mini chocolate chips work great in muffins.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350. Line 2 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners and set aside.
- Ignore the instructions on the box and put everything in a stand mixer: dry cake mix, pumpkin, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Beat on low speed for about 30 seconds or until the dry ingredients are moistened, then beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes, until the mixture is smooth. Add in the chocolate chips and stir until combined.
- Mix your streusel
Whisk together the dry streusel ingredients (flour, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice) and then add the butter and crumble until it resembles wet sand. Divide between the muffins and bake.
When they’re done baking, remove the pans from the oven and allow them to cool completely.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I make these ahead of time? Yes! They still taste great when made a day ahead of time, I just store in an airtight container at room temp.
- Can these muffins be frozen? You bet. Freeze in a single layer and then pop in a container or zip top bag- just know the streusel might fall off if they are being banged around a bit in a bag.
Streusel-Topped Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Moist, flavorful spice muffins with a crumbly streusel topping. Quick and easy using a box mix as a base!
Ingredients
- 1 15 oz boxed spice cake mix I prefer Duncan Hines1 15-oz can pumpkin puree1 cup sour cream (I use full fat)1/4 cup vegetable oil3 eggs1 teaspoon vanilla1 12-ounce package chocolate chips
- Streusel Topping
- 1/2 cup sugar1/2 cup all-purpose flour1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice3 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Ignore the directions on the box. Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners and set aside.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the cake mix, pumpkin, sour cream oil, eggs, and vanilla. Mix on low for 30 seconds or until all the ingredients have been moistened, then beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes or until the batter is smooth. Mix in the chocolate chips.
- Divide the batter evenly in the cupcake liners. Whisk together the flour, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice, then cut in the butter with two knives until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the topping over the batter. Bake the muffins for 20-30 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out completely clean. Cool on a wire rack before serving. Makes 24 muffins.
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Questions & Reviews
This recipe is my go-to pumpkin baking recipe. When I make the cupcakes (errr muffins) I usually leave off the streusel (for some reason I didn’t get it right the first time) and add cream cheese frosting. Today I turned this recipe into a cake, put chocolate ganache in the middle and smothered it in caramel cream cheese frosting. Everyone raved about the moistness and airiness of the cake. Thanks as always, ladies 🙂
Thanks for such a great post, I am totally impressed! Keep stuff like this coming.
On the blog it says to mix the cake mix, pumpkin, eggs, oil, vanilla. But in the recipe box it says sour cream also.. just a little discrepancy that wasn’t to hard to figure out. anyways, I made them and they are delish!
Oh and I got 32 muffins. The first batch I didn’t fill up enough though.
I made these last night with my toddler right before I put her to bed. They weren’t done baking so I told her she could have some in the morning. What was the first thing she said when she woke up? “Are the muffins ready?” So we sat down and had a muffin. After she has eaten the top off she got distracted and walked away. Queue 9 month old. This little munchkin pulled herself up and ate the remainder of the muffin. Moral of the story, these muffins are freaking awesome enough that the WHOLE family enjoyed them quite thoroughly 🙂
I baked these tonight and although they taste great, I had to bake them for 35 minutes (the first batch fell)and still a tooth pick inserted would not come out clean. I got 20 muffins! I think there is to much wet ingredients in these muffins.
If you only got 20, my guess is that the cupcake liners were filled too full, which is probably why they took so long. You should get at *least* 24–some people have gotten even more.
Do you think this could also be made as a cake instead of muffins/cupcakes? If so, how would you change it?
I’m sure it could be done, I’ve just never made it that way, so I can’t say for sure! 🙂 Just keep an eye on the cake in the oven and use the instructions on the box as a rough guideline for baking times. 🙂
Please oh please tell me where you got those darling green bottles!!
These were SOOOOO delicious. Me and my two sons (1 and 3) have been eating them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the last few days…really good with dark chocolate chips!
just pointing out, not that i’m ocd or anything, but in the post, when talking about mixing the ingredients you omitted the sour cream. it WAS included in the recipe, just not in the paragraph part of the post! cheers! and yum!
I made these tonight, mmmmm. I didn’t make the topping and substituted most of the sour cream with plain nonfat greek yogurt. I had to go to 3 stores to find spice cake mix. Finally found it at Smiths.
I wonder if you could use carrot cake mix, canned carrots and raisins for another twist on the theme.
Thank you for this recipe, not only does it taste great, our house smells so good.
I made these for my “birthday treat” for my third graders. I had 8 year olds asking me for the recipe!
These are sooo good, thanks for the recipe! Everyone loved them!
I made these this weekend for a birthday party and everyone raved about them! I love anything with pumpkin and chocolate chip, but these were really something special. Great recipe!!
I made this recipe this morning for a baby shower and it was a hit! Everyone loved it!
3rd batch of the week in the oven! Fantastic!
Funny, I just blogged about how I absolutely am obsessed with cream cheese frosting too. It is so delicious. When I make it I have to keep myself from sneaking into the fridge and licking my fingers.
Great job on the blog, it looks great.
Kate! Have you had the cream cheese frosting at “Nothing Bundt Cakes”? It’s amazing! Can’t wait to try yours too, sounds like it’s similar to NBC’s.
Waiting for these to cool down enough for me not to burn the roof of my mouth. Just an FYI: The recipe says it makes 24, but when I fill the cupcake…oh I mean muffin liners 2/3 of the way full it makes more like 31. Which I think is totally fine because that way I can present 24 at a party and act like it’s normal but in reality I have 7 of those beauties sitting at home on my counter for my “kids” aka me to eat. I find this to be true of all the doctored up cupcakes I make. Love the site, but my waistline doesn’t.
These look killer. Though pondering a little oatmeal in the topping…just for some chew.
I love your site, I dont think I have ever commented before but I am a fan. I just wanted to let you know your links for your zucchini bread recipes are not working.
Hi 🙂 Just thought I would comment… and I am sure I am not the first to post something like this, but I found out (totally by accident) that you can actually do without the liquid and oil just by adding the pumpkin. I even just add 2 eggs 🙂 and it does well. I would definitely only recommend the DH Spice Cake mix… best flavor overall no question! The resulting cake/cupcakes are so incredibly moist and flavorful!!! (I am not one that loves to do low fat… it just happened this way when I was out of oil, and forgot to add the water :)) I will definitely be trying your version tho… sounds so yummy!!! Thanks for the recipe! As usual… it’s going in my box! You guys are amazing!
Looks delicious. Using a cake mix in this recipe is really just as good as making them from scratch?????
As long as you use Duncan Hines cake mixes, I think doctored up cake mixes are every bit as good (if not better) than a lot of cupcakes/cakes/muffins made from scratch. Not all, of course, but really, if you take a look at the cake mix ingredients, it’s everything you’d be putting in your cake anyway. The benefit is that these companies turn out HUUUUGE quantities of cake mixes, so it eliminates a lot of variables that cause people trouble (expired baking soda or baking powder, not measuring the flour correctly, not using the right kind of flour, etc.) When you mix them with high-quality fresh ingredients, you can get really fantastic results.
That said, I am and forever will be a homemade brownie snob. And this lemon cake? Nothing from a box can beat it. 🙂
https://ourbestbites.com/2009/06/lemon-cupcakes/
So I was planning on making the other version on here (aka Weight Watchers) until seeing these. They are so good! Thanks for pushing me off the weight loss wagon! Thankfully, they are so good, some are going to be wonderful snacks for the neighbors!
Sorry , dude. I can’t even keep myself on the weight watchers wagon, haha!
Did you say Tim Riggins? LOL 🙂
Yes. *Sigh*
Mmm! I love fall food! Especially the pumpkin treats. Thanks for this recipe. I can’t wait to try it.
Oh and I totally get the man cold thing. UGH! Us moms get a cold (or a stomach bug) and we still have to be super woman. Men get to take it easy and get pampered. I want a sick day!!
Okay, I absolutely LOVE your bottle of milk, shown in the last picture, you posted of the muffins. Where did you find that? Oh, and the muffins look delicious too.
Check out comment 12.1 (not because I don’t want to answer your question, but I’m on my phone and copying and pasting links is a totally different monster… 🙂 )
I LOVE anything pumpkin and these sound so yummy. I need to get those muffin papers asap…
How do you think these would hold up if you made them and froze them? I’m wanting to make them a few days before a party and then get them out the night before. Wondering if you think that would be ok?
They would be great! Just thaw them at room temperature where they can air out (no not covered or in a bag or anything).
Thank you! I made them for my little boy’s baby blessing and they were a hit. Everyone was loving them!