Pumpkin Chocolate Muffins with Olive Oil

It's feeling a lot like autumn these days and with that, comes my craving for all things pumpkin and spice.  I'm just WAITING for Starbucks to bring back their seasonal Pumpkin Spice Latte.  So in the mean time, to satisfy my craving, I baked a batch of Pumpkin Chocolate Muffins using extra virgin olive oil.

What can I say, the olive oil gives me the illusion of a healthier muffin.  Tastes pretty darn good too.

I used semi-sweet chocolate chips with my batch.  A mixture of regular size and mini.

The combination of the the chocolate chips and the autumn muffin liners definitely intrigue the kids.  Using whole wheat flour and pumpkin is a great way for me to slip some more nutrition into my kids' lunches for their snack at school.  It's a  win-win.

Pumpkin Chocolate Muffins with Olive Oil

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 eggs
1/3 cup water
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup chocolate chips {or nuts or both}

Mix sugar, salt, olive oil, eggs, water all together in a bowl.  Then add spices, baking soda, flour , pumpkin and chocolate chips.  Line a muffin pan with muffin liners, fill with batter and bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes.  A perfect any time snack.  These can also be made ahead of time if you're having a party and frozen until you're ready to serve them.