Pumpkin + Chocolate

Halloween is all about Pumpkins for me, so I thought I'd put together some Pumpkin and Chocolate pairings.

Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 (15 oz) can of Pumpkin
1 Spice Cake Mix
1 cup of broken high end dark chocolate (or a cup of dark chocolate chips)
Chopped walnuts (optional)

Mix pumpkin and cake mix until blended and moist. Fold in chocolate chips (and walnuts if you're using them). Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or so.. you'll know when they're done, but start checking at 8 minutes.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins (adapted from Recipe Bazaar)
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 (15-16 ounce) can pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil (you'll need this much oil to make these moist)*
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips (or broken dark chocolate)

In large mixing bowl beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin, vanilla and oil until smooth.
Mix dry ingredients together and mix into pumpkin mixture. Fold in chocolate chips.
Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 3/4 full.
Bake at 400 F for 16-20 minutes.

To make Lite Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins, USE THIS RECIPE -substitutes applesauce for the oil. You can do this with almost any spice/pumpkin cake, bar, muffin.

Quick and Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
2 boxes of spice cake mixes (Duncan Hines)
1 30-oz. can pumpkin (Libby's)
1 - 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips or broken up pieces of dark chocolate

Preheat Oven to 350. Mix together cake mixes, pumpkin and fold in chocolate chips or pieces. Spoon into lined muffin tins--either mini or regular. Fill to the brim, not much rising. Sprinkle some chocolate chip pieces on top. Bake for about 20-25 minutes.

More Chocolate + Pumpkin recipes

CookWomanFood.com has a great recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars. They're moist and delicious, and you can vary the recipe to cut down on fat.

Real Mom Kitchen has a family recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread.

Don't forget Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake. Good all year!

And, Maria at Two Peas and Their Pod posted a fabulous link to Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies! What a great recipe!

Doughmesstic has an incredible decked out pumpkin brioche! She uses it in Pumpkin & Chocolate Toffee Cinnamons Buns with Caramel Cream Cheese Icing (be still my heart!) and gives you lots of inventive uses for this terrific Pumpkin Pie Brioche dough.

Don't miss the Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Loaf on Felicia Sullivan's Blog.

Have a Pumpkin + chocolate recipe you love? Let me know, and I'll add a link.