Now to tell you the truth, I have never baked with pumpkin before! I am more used to using pumpkin as a spicy savoury side dish or in yummy "raitas". It is said that its earthy flavour and dense fibrous texture is perfect for making cakes, pies, scones, bars and squares and muffins.
With the arrival of October , I decided that it is the perfect time to give the "Pumpkin" a try and bake something "Pumpkinny". And guess what, at my other baking group, "Baking Partners", the chosen bake for this month was........(drum rolls please)...Pumpkin Chocolate Chips Muffins!! Baking Partners is a bloghop organised and hosted by the wonderful Swathi of Zesty South Indian Kitchen.
We don't get canned pumpkin purees over here in India (not that I m aware of), but hey it's fairly easy to get it done at home. Agreed its a bit time consuming, but then you are not required to watch guard over it, just slide it in the oven and do whatever you want to do for 1 and 1/4 hour. Use a smaller pumpkin variety,first cut the pumpkin in half lengthwise, remove all the seeds and stringy fibres, and then place cut-side down on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 177 degree Celsius for approximately 45 minutes to 1 and 1/4 hours (depending upon the size) or until pierced with a knife. Scoop out the pulp and puree in a food processor until smooth. You do need to extract all the liquid, so strain the pumpkin through a cheesecloth lined strainer and then cool the puree before using.
The recipe we are trying out this month is from the online "Baking Bible" of home bakers, otherwise known as "Joy of Baking". Its a one stop solution for all our baking queries and worries. I didnt have any chocolate chips at home, so used roughly chopped chocolate instead. Pumpkin and chocolate surely makes a "winning" combination. Also, I decided to make this into a loaf tin instead of muffins....why??? because the original recipe, from where these muffins are adapted, calls for a loaf tin. So I decided to make as per the original. If you want to make muffins, I have provided the instructions at the bottom of the recipe.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup (180 ml) solid packed, canned pumpkin puree
1 cup (175 grams) semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
Method:
Preheat oven to 177 degree Celsius. Place rack in the middle of the oven. Grease a 9 inch loaf pan with butter.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, ground spices and salt.
In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract. Now alternately add the flour mixture and pumpkin puree, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes and then unmold from the tin and let cool completely before slicing.
For the muffins:
Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Fill the muffin cups evenly with the batter using two spoons or an ice cream scoop. Place in the oven and bake for abut 18-20 minutes, or until firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the muffins comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool.
With the arrival of October , I decided that it is the perfect time to give the "Pumpkin" a try and bake something "Pumpkinny". And guess what, at my other baking group, "Baking Partners", the chosen bake for this month was........(drum rolls please)...Pumpkin Chocolate Chips Muffins!! Baking Partners is a bloghop organised and hosted by the wonderful Swathi of Zesty South Indian Kitchen.
We don't get canned pumpkin purees over here in India (not that I m aware of), but hey it's fairly easy to get it done at home. Agreed its a bit time consuming, but then you are not required to watch guard over it, just slide it in the oven and do whatever you want to do for 1 and 1/4 hour. Use a smaller pumpkin variety,first cut the pumpkin in half lengthwise, remove all the seeds and stringy fibres, and then place cut-side down on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 177 degree Celsius for approximately 45 minutes to 1 and 1/4 hours (depending upon the size) or until pierced with a knife. Scoop out the pulp and puree in a food processor until smooth. You do need to extract all the liquid, so strain the pumpkin through a cheesecloth lined strainer and then cool the puree before using.
The recipe we are trying out this month is from the online "Baking Bible" of home bakers, otherwise known as "Joy of Baking". Its a one stop solution for all our baking queries and worries. I didnt have any chocolate chips at home, so used roughly chopped chocolate instead. Pumpkin and chocolate surely makes a "winning" combination. Also, I decided to make this into a loaf tin instead of muffins....why??? because the original recipe, from where these muffins are adapted, calls for a loaf tin. So I decided to make as per the original. If you want to make muffins, I have provided the instructions at the bottom of the recipe.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Loaf
Adapted from hereIngredients:
1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup (180 ml) solid packed, canned pumpkin puree
1 cup (175 grams) semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
Method:
Preheat oven to 177 degree Celsius. Place rack in the middle of the oven. Grease a 9 inch loaf pan with butter.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, ground spices and salt.
In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract. Now alternately add the flour mixture and pumpkin puree, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes and then unmold from the tin and let cool completely before slicing.
For the muffins:
Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Fill the muffin cups evenly with the batter using two spoons or an ice cream scoop. Place in the oven and bake for abut 18-20 minutes, or until firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the muffins comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool.
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