Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

This weekend I finally was able to make a pumpkin dessert and one of my favorites...Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins! A family I babysat for made these when I was over one time and that is when I decided Pumpkin desserts are just the best in the world.

These muffins are soft, moist and provide the perfect balance of chocolate and pumpkin. Basically? They are so good.{also read more for some life updates at the end!}

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs 

1 can Pumpkin Puree

2 cups sugar

3 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

12 oz chocolate chips

Mix oil, eggs and puree. In separate ball mix together sugar, flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon and salt. Add to wet ingredients and mix. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill greased muffin tin about 2/3 full.  Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes. Makes 3 dozen.

Enjoy!

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Now some life updates!

Today I am leaving Texas, well America, and headed to see my hunky husband! Tomorrow I will arrive in Poland and get to hug my loves neck and I cannot wait. Although, I am so sad to leave my family and friends here. I truly will miss them so much. It makes me want to cry right now typing that out. But then I think of my hubby and this journey God had placed before us and...so much JOY comes over me! Bittersweet for sure. But such comfort in knowing I will be in my hubby's arms soon {ahhh!!!}and grateful for this opportunity. 

So Poland and Roberto....here I come! 

Prayers for safe travels and not so sad goodbyes would be so greatly appreciated!!

Also, make sure to link up with these lovely ladies for this holiday fun!

Mini Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

This is what I made with my homemade pumpkin puree and these were good! I took them to a friend's house a couple weeks ago and they were a hit! But be careful since they are mini...it's very easy to lose track of how many you eat (whoops). I used this recipe as a guide!

Mini Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients: 

1 2/3 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice (I did not have this so I did 2 tbsp. of brown sugar)

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

1. Whisk together flour, sugar, pumpkin pie spice (or brown sugar), baking soda, baking powder, and salt. 

2. In separate bowl combine eggs, pumpkin and butter (either use mixer with paddle or attachment or mix by hand). 

3. Slowly add in dry ingredients and mix until well combined. 

4. Fold in chocolate chips. 

5. Bake for 15-20 min. 

6. Let cool for about 5 min. in pan, then move to wire wrack. 

-Makes about 48 mini muffins- 

(my pan was very mini so it made 72 muffins and were in the oven for 12 min)

Enjoy!

Pumpkin, Pumpkin, Pumpkin

As I have said before one of my favorite fall desserts is pumpkin chocolate chip muffins...mmmmm! But I had a problem... they do not have pumpkin puree at the grocery stores here. I thought all hope was lost. But then! I came across this recipe from the Pioneer Woman. You can make your own pumpkin puree! Who knew?

 

Pumpkin Puree

 

Ingredients:

2 small pumpkins

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

1. Cut pumpkin tops off. Then cut pumpkins in half.

2. Remove seeds from each pumpkin and as much of the stringy stuff as you can.

3. Cut each half into thirds and place pieces on a baking sheet.

4. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 45 min.

5. Once pieces are cooked, remove the skin. It should peel off easily.

6. Place pieces a couple at a time either in food processor or blender and puree!

Pumpkin Puree looks kinda nasty, I know. But used as a key ingredient in desserts...delicious!

Pioneer woman suggest freezing what you do not use. So I did! With the pumpkins I had, it made about 2 cups of puree. So I used 1 cup for pumpkin chocolate chip muffins (I'll share that recipe next) and froze the other cup for later in a Ziploc bag!

Happy Halloween!

Since we are not dressing up for Halloween this year, I took a trip down memory lane. This was Halloween 2 years ago...oh man these pictures get me every time. Cannot stop laughing. Is he a good sport or what?!

I hope these give you as good a laugh as they give Rob and me! This year we are having a relaxing Halloween night...a little movie marathon and some candy!

 Happy Halloween!

Picnic

We have been talking about going on a picnic since we got here and on Saturday we finally did! 

We want to enjoy this fall weather before winter comes! 

We found a great spot in a beautiful park.We ate, talked, relaxed and enjoyed God's beautiful creation.

 I sure do love my husband...and picnics.

 The ladybug with too many spots...as Rob called it. Pretty neat, right??

 Quick dessert- leftover tortillas from fajita night...spread with nutella, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, a little powder sugar and voila!

 If you can't tell... I am a  little obsessed with trees. Especially these colors?? AND they meet in the middle!
Perfection, I am sure of it.

Life Lately

It has been a good week here in Nuremberg!

A week just full of life. It is starting to feel like home here, more and more every day.

 

+Rob has been practicing like crazy...game tomorrow night!

+I started volunteering at a day care/ pre-school here this week and it has been great! I've missed hanging out with littles!

+Tried out a few new recipes this week...will post soon!

+Took some beautiful walks

+Had our first movie theater experience here. Saw The Butler and ate some good popcorn, no liquid butter here (crazy I tell ya)!

+Ate at our first German Restaurant...soo good! And a creperie! Come visit us and we will take you!!

+Planning fun things and adventures for when friends come visit us in December! Wahoo! So excited.

+Lastly, Robert and I are doing a 90 day overview of the bible and it has been really great. We are learning so much. Lots of the stories we have heard ever since we were little, we are reading and understanding much, much more. We serve a great God, a faithful God. One who loves us with a love that is beyond understanding. One who wants the best for us even when we do not understand and I am so grateful. I will find the link and post it asap.

We babysat some precious little girls this week and they had so much fun with Rob. Doesn't he look cute?! :) A donut hole type thing, but so different than back home. Fluffy, fried, coated in lots of sugar...delicious. The sandwich is called a doner, very popular here. They shave meat off this thing (I describe it so well, I know). I wasn't a huge fan, rob loved it though.

Happy Saturday!

Fall Favorites

 

Hello Weekend!

On our agenda this weekend...
+basketball game!
+grocery shopping
+sleeping in
+wine and pizza date night
+watching some modern family 
+reading Harry Potter (I was the one who never thought I would like the series, now I love it...just started the seventh book!)
+a little baking

So not only are we glad it is the weekend over here but we are also very excited for Fall!

I think every season is my favorite and right now I am so glad it is fall, so much fun in a season. Here are some of my Fall Favorites that I have to share!

 

 

 

 

 

:1: Doesn't this blanket look so comfy?! A blanket is essential for me whenever I am relaxing around the house (even in the summer) and now with the cooler weather, it is perfect and cozy! I have a very similar one to this that a friend gave me and it is fabulous...big and soft!

 

:2: Chai tea. I do not like coffee (crazy I know, I know) so this is the perfect warm drink for me. Delicious and not to mention smells heavenly. I really enjoyed Starbucks chai on all our wifi trips. I also want to try making some of my own...maybe this recipe??

 

:3: I am a big fan of riding boots. I wear them every most days during the fall/winter. They keep my feet warm and add style to tons of outfits! These above are super cute, I have some similar and find this brand hold up much better than the cheaper brands I have bought before! This pair looks great as well.

 

:4: Taco Soup! One of my favorite fall recipes. This recipe from the picture above is from a blog full of wonderful recipes and this one looks delicious. My mom also makes an AMAZING taco soup. I will post that recipe soon!

 

:5: Scarves are a huge hit for most during the fall. They add flare to any outfit! I have a leopard scarf that I got back in Lubbock at Hodgepodge and just love it! The one pictured is very similar!

 

:6: So I am ghostly pale. That summer glow is for sure gone. But this bronzer is great and helps add a little color! Not the wow your face is a different color than your neck color but a radiant, just enough glow for fall color.

 

:7: I am a big fan of red nail polish. And now that there is warmer weather I wanted to find a darker red and this OPI one looks perfect!

 

:8: What is the ideal dessert for fall? Pumpkin! My personal favorite is Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins, this recipe looks amazing. Sadly I have not found pumpkin to bake with here so for now I will have to stare at the picture and let my mouth water.

 

:9: Lastly, a favorite of mine as long as I can remember...Pillsbury Halloween Cookies! You can find these babies at your local grocery store, I promise they will not disappoint.

 

 

Other favorites? The crisp, cool air, pumpkin carving, leaves changing...so much fun! What are some of your fall favorites?

Enjoy your weekend!!