Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

All the perfect craft bloggers are not just interested in crafts, but also home decoration, cooking, and being awesome.  I am interested in home decoration, but unfortunately the graduate student budget does not allow me to realize my home decor dreams.  Additionally, I am renting a house that recently sold for $25,000.  While there's a surprising amount of potential in the 100+ year old, haunted looking, miniature Victorian farmhouse, it would require at least an equal investment to the purchase price.  Move that decimal point over five places, and you get the amount of money I have for the project...

But cooking, well I have to eat, so I can comment on that.  Many moons ago, while living in Phoenix, I was fortunate enough to live across the street from this.   La Grande Orange is an institution in the Valley of the Sun.  So much so that like everything in Phoenix they are/did build(ing) another one.  But, on weeknights they had "Dessert Happy Hour."  What an amazing concept.  I would frequently partake, and like happy hours of other sorts, usually I would over indulge.  The best dessert was always the pumpkin chocolate chip muffins.  Yes, they are technically breakfast, but they were so delicious, they were good anytime.

Fast forward.  Several months ago the Lincoln community was lucky enough to have a Trader Joe's added to the area.  Their fall seasonal haul of goodies included pumpkin bread mix.  So, I added chocolate chips and a ton of sugar on the muffin tops.  And, they are exactly like the La Grande Orange version...!

Here is a very dark picture of the little muffins.  I ate too many of them.