Pumpkin Coconut Muffins with Chocolate Chips are just what I was craving in this cooler weather.  As soon as the weather starts to change, I love to fill my kitchen with pumpkin spice scent from my oven.  It’s so warming and inviting and it tends to linger for a few days after baking.

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Pumpkin and coconut are the perfect combination.  They both play off of each other’s flavors to make the most delicious treat. I suggest doubling this recipe since it’s so yummy.

I’ve been trying to use up some ingredients in my pantry.  A can of pumpkin and some coconut oil were hanging out in the back and I thought, “there has to be something I can do with both of these”.  It turns out – there is!  Pumpkin and coconut were made for each other.  The coconut oil gives it a rich, sweet flavor that plays well with the pumpkin.  Coconut is one of my favorite baking ingredients.  Click here for more recipes with rich coconut.

Sugar on top is just the icing on the cake (and ended up being just what this sweet tooth needed).  There’s also plenty of other good stuff inside these pumpkin coconut treats …wheat germ, flax, and more!  I was able to use up a bunch of goodies in my pantry to get ready for my holiday baking grocery shopping.  These were a HUGE hit around here.  So much so that by the time I got my camera to take a picture of the muffins, they were all gone.  It’s a good thing there was an 8×8 pan in the oven no one knew about yet. When I make these again, I have to remember to double the recipe. They’re THAT yummy!  Plus, it’s nice to have extra stored away in the freezer to pack in school lunches or for a quick breakfast.

I just had some for breakfast this morning and it was so delicious!

Pumpkin Coconut Chocolate Chip Muffins

Makes approx. 2 dozen muffins, or 2 pans 8×8″

Ingredients

3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt (I learned the hard way not to stray from iodized salt)
1/2 tsp nutmeg (I like to grind my own nutmeg with a microplane zester.  The flavor is SUPER FRESH and bright when freshly ground.  It will make a big difference in your baking.)
1 T cinnamon

1/2 cup honey
1 15oz can pumpkin puree, unsweetened
3/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1 cup coconut milk or regular milk

1 cup chopped walnuts or chopped pecans
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.  First, prepare your pans.  Grease and flour (2) 8×8″ baking pans or line a muffin pan with 24 liners (or 1 pan and 1 muffin pan) and set aside.  In a large bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients. Whisk with a fork until combined.  In a second bowl, mix the next five ingredients.  Stir just until the ingredients are combined.  Over stirring will create a tough muffin, and no one wants tough muffins.  Then, pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir JUST until combined.  Finally, gently fold in the nuts, making sure to not overmix.

Pour the batter into the prepared pans and/or scoop the batter into the muffin liners, filling them 2/3 full. Next, place a few dark chocolate chips on top of each muffin or sprinkled on the top of the batter in the pan. Bake the pans for about 1 hour and the muffin pans for about 25 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely and then store in an airtight container.