Muffins: Ready in 3...2...1...

Chances are, you've already got all three ingredients to make these scrumptious chocolate chip muffins in your pantry.  That's right.  Three.  I kid you not.  Filling in for the roles of oil and eggs is our old pal Pumpkin, proving yet again that even the most die-hard pumpkin haters can be converted with the right recipe.  More brownie than muffin, these babies can give those "other" muffins a serious run for their money.  You know which ones--starts with "O" and ends with "tis Spunkmeyer?"  Have you ever looked at the nutrition info on one of those bad boys?  Yeesh.  While this 3-ingredient version is by no means diet food, it certainly packs more of a nutritional punch from the addition of pumpkin.  Does it taste pumpkiny?  Not by a long shot.  The secret ingredient is only betrayed by the yellow-orange staining on the cupcake papers. 

Did I mention how fast these muffins come together?  You'll have them mixed up and ready to go before your oven is finished preheating!  This recipe is a great starting point and lends itself well to variations.  Duncan Hines® is the recommended brand of cake mix for this recipe, but a pudding-in-the-mix variety like Betty Crocker®(what I used) or Pillsbury® can also be used (and will give denser, brownie-like results).  Change out the flavor of cake mix, swap out the chocolate chips, and you've got yourself a whole new muffin to fall in love with.  I'm thinking spice cake with raisins or apple bits next...

Three Ingredient Muffins

(Original recipe at Our Best Bites)

Makes 10-12 jumbo muffins or 20-24 regular sized

18.25 oz box cake mix (I used Betty Crocker® devil's food)

15 oz. can pumpkin puree

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line jumbo muffin tins with 10-12 paper liners.  In a medium bowl, mix cake mix, pumpkin, and chocolate chips until combined.  Batter will be quite thick and sticky.  Use an ice cream scoop to portion batter into cups (for a jumbo muffin tin, it takes two scoops per well).  Wet your fingers a bit, and use them to smooth out the tops.  The muffins don't rise much and their appearance doesn't change much when baked, so if there are huge gaps or divots they will still be there once baked. 

Bake jumbo muffins for about 25-28 minutes, or until muffins don't retain a dent when you press them lightly.  With so much chocolate going on, a toothpick test doesn't really work here.  For regular muffins, decrease time a bit, maybe 22-25 minutes depending on your oven.  Cool on a wire rack before serving.