If there's one thing I dislike about fall -- amid all the wonderful things about fall, like crisp mornings, golden diffused afternoon light, and the plethora of apple-based dessert options to consider on a daily basis not that I'm having trouble fitting into my jeans as a result or anything harrrumph -- it's the triumphant return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte. I have a major sweet tooth (see also: dessert options, jeans), but god, those lattes. I don't understand why people go crazy for them! So sickly and infused with fake-pumpkin stuff and GAH, it's like eating a can of AIR FRESHENER!

Ahem. Anyway! Flavored coffee ranting aside, I do love a nice pumpkin-centered baked good. In fact, I have a recipe for the most insanely delicious pumpkin muffin on Earth, and I can almost guarantee it will be the best thing you've eaten all week. Unless you hate moist, dense, intoxicatingly chocolatey pumpkin things that are worth every sinful calorie.

Here's what you'll need:

More from The Stir: Easy, Yummy Orange Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 tbls baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1 cup canned pumpkin (just plain pumpkin -- not the already-flavored pumpkin pie filling stuff!)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons of molasses
• A bag of chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400°F and lightly grease a 12-muffin tin (or use paper liners).

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, milk, oil, and molasses.

Pour wet ingredients into the dry and mix. Stir in your desired amount of chocolate chips (I recommend a "crap-ton"). Fill the muffin cups two-thirds full.

Bake 18-20 minutes, or until toothpick or knife inserted in center comes out clean. You should try and wait until they’re cool enough to not burn the eff out of your mouth before you devour the entire batch, but it won’t be easy.

A friend of mine shared this recipe with me years ago, and every October I make it and I instantly gain 10 pounds but by god, they are HAPPY pounds. You could probably make this healthier by cutting back the sugar and adding flax or oats or, I don't know, a giant reeking bag of kale or whatever. But I suggest trying it exactly as is. You'll toss that inferior latte right out the window.

Here's a non-chatty version of the recipe you can print.

Let me know if you make these muffins, and how you liked them!

 

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Image via keribeth/Flickr