Il Cucinologo
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Pumpkin and Chocolate Muffins

17/11/2023

Pumpkin and chocolate muffins are an exquisite meeting between the sweetly earthy flavor of pumpkin and the intense note of chocolate. Now I’ll list the ingredients for you and then guide you through the procedure.

Ingredients

  • 200 g of pumpkin, already cleaned
  • 100 g of 00 flour
  • 50 g of almond flour
  • 100 g of brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 60 g of melted butter
  • 100 g of dark chocolate
  • 1/2 packet of baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
  • 1 pinch of nutmeg
  • 1 pinch of salt

Preparation

  1. Start by preheating the oven to 180 °C.
  2. Cut the pumpkin into cubes and steam or bake it until tender. Once cooked, blend it to obtain a smooth puree.
  3. In a bowl, mix the eggs with the brown sugar until you obtain a frothy mixture. Add the melted butter, slightly cooled, and continue mixing.
  4. Add the pumpkin puree to the egg mixture and stir to combine everything.
  5. In a separate bowl, combine the 00 flour, almond flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
  6. Gradually incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, stirring gently to avoid lumps.
  7. Roughly chop the dark chocolate with a knife and add it to the batter.
  8. Pour the batter into previously buttered muffin tins or lined with paper muffin cups.
  9. Bake and cook for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean.
  10. Let the muffins cool on a wire rack before serving.

Curiosities

The combination of pumpkin and chocolate is not very common in Italy, but as in this case it can offer interesting and balanced flavors. Pumpkin can be used in many ways in pastry, thanks to its natural sweetness and the texture that gives softness to desserts. Adding a touch of spices like cinnamon and nutmeg not only adds depth to the flavor but also takes us back to the autumn and winter atmospheres typical of this cuisine.

If you have difficulty finding almond flour, you can replace it with the same amount of 00 flour, or you can make it at home by finely grinding peeled almonds.