pumpkin chocolate chip muffins

The first time I tried these was about a year ago when my friend Karolyn made them for breakfast during a girlfriends retreat/reunion. Good memories (love you guys!). What I like about these muffins (besides the chocolate chips!) is that you barely taste the pumpkin. It's not overwhelming. Not even close. They're very light & fluffy ... not dense.



PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

1 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten
1 c. ground pumpkin (canned)
1/2 c. cooking oil
1/3 c. chocolate chips

Mix together. Fill muffin cups and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

**Added note: If using mini muffin pan, just about 12 minutes is perfect in my oven. And I sprayed the mini muffin pan before filling each space half-way with the mixture. (No muffin cups.)

Super simple. When the recipe is this simple, I definitely involve the kids. Porter & Claire helped me make some today and we're sharing with some neighbors when we go for a walk later this evening.

pretzel hugs

This is the easiest snack ever. And the kids will love to help. We made a bunch this weekend and delivered them to a few friends & neighbors. This was the first time that we used the waffle-style pretzels (instead of traditional). BIG hit. Much better.



PRETZEL HUGS

1 bag pretzels
1 pkg. M&Ms
1 pkg. Hershey "Hugs"

Place pretzels on baking stone or sheet. Place a Hug on each pretzel and bake at 200 degrees for about 8 minutes (just watch for the Hugs to melt). Remove from oven and promptly place a couple of M&Ms on each pretzel, pressing into the melted chocolate. Allow to cool before serving. At room temperature, this takes SEVERAL hours. I would recommend making these the day before you plan on eating/delivering. Or you can put them in the refrigerator to speed up the process.

Note to self: I tried to experiment with the caramel-filled kisses (the batch before this one). Bad idea. It didn't work. But my friend, Karolyn, said that Rolos work. So maybe you'll want to try that version.