Pumpkin-Yumkins

There is a Great Harvest Bread Company near my house - it's amazing. They always have some kind of magical treat. Their latest: Pumpkin-Yumkin muffins. The problem, and the reason why I decided to make them myself, is that they were inconsistently good - and at $2 a pop, they should always be great. The other problem is that the first one I had was SO good that I kept thinking about it, and buying them, only to be sorely disappointed. And so, this is my first attempt. There will be subsequent versions, but this one is bastante bien for now. This recipe essentially came from a pumpkin themed cookbook by DeeDee Syrovel.

Makes roughly 3 dozen mini muffins or two loaves of bread. Can be frozen for up to 3 months. Excellent refrigerated and eaten the next day.

• 4 eggs
• 1 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cup canned pumpkin pie pumpkin (or just pumpkin)
• 1 cup olive oil
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder*
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg*
• 1 cup dark chocolate, chopped

* Items in the original recipe that I didn't have and so excluded. They turned out just fine.

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease bread pan or muffin pan well.
2. Whisk eggs, sugar, pumpkin, and oil in a large bowl.
3. Gradually add flour, baking soda/powder, and spices into pumpkin mixture.
4. Fold in the chocolate.
5. Bake about 20 minutes for muffins or 75 minutes for bread - until toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5-7 minutes. Follow the edge of pan with a butter knife and remove from pan. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.