Pumpkin Chip Cupcakes

We had a Halloween potluck at work at the end of October (cuz we like to come up with any excuse we can to eat good food).

I volunteered to bring in dessert, mostly because I love to bake (you probably already knew that). But also because I still had some homemade cream cheese frosting chilling in the fridge, begging to be used up. I made a big batch of it when I made pumpkin spice cookies for my mom, and I couldn't let the rest of it go to waste.

I tried to branch out and make something non-pumpkiny, since I've been making so much pumpkin stuff lately. But in the end, cream cheese frosting simply tastes amazing paired with pumpkin, and it *was* a Halloween potluck. So I caved. And, I told myself it was OK because I tried out a new recipe.

I snatched this recipe for Pumpkin Chip Cupcakes out of one of those little grocery store aisle booklets last year, vowing I would make them one day. Well, that day arrived. The combination of the frosting, pumpkin, pecans and chocolate chips sounded promising. Plus, I had some mellowcreme pumpkins to use up and some fall-inspired sprinkles.

My co-workers enjoyed them, and I threw the leftovers back in the fridge in the breakroom, where they sat all weekend. But they seemed to keep pretty well because people were still eating them on Monday (and claiming they were still just as good).

Ingredients

1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 tspn baking powder
1/4 tspn baking soda
1/4 tspn salt
1/4 tspn ground cinnamon
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup cooking oil
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/3 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
Vanilla, chocolate or cream cheese frosting

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line muffin cups with paper baking cups; set aside.

In medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Make well in center of flour mixture.

In another medium bowl, combine eggs, pumpkin and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture; stir until just moistened. Fold in pecans and chocolate chips. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full.

Bake regular sized muffins for 20-25 minutes (mini muffins for 14-16 minutes), of until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in muffin cups on wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from muffin cups. Cool on wire rack. Tint frosting as desired; spread over cupcakes. Top with sprinkles.

Source: Better Homes and Gardens' Simply Better "Halloween Treats"