pumpkin bites

This year for Thanksgiving I made something different for dessert:  pumpkin bites.  Normally I make stuffed mushrooms as a dinner side dish and brownies for dessert, but I was tired of making those things.  Plus, ever since King Arthur Flour stopped selling natural cocoa, my brownies recipe just isn't the same anymore.

I got the pumpkin bite recipe from a former coworker.  They're so easy, delicious, and moist.  You mix a box of yellow cake mix, a can of pumpkin (not the pie filling), and a bag of chocolate chips.  Bake in a mini muffin tin and that's it.  I Googled it to see where the recipe actually originated and found it's a Dunkin Hines recipes, although theirs called for spice cake mix instead of yellow.

Although these bites taste good as-is, I wanted to add something to give it a little more pumpkin flavor.  I decided to add some pumpkin pie spice.  The result was delicious!  I'm thinking that instead of a can of pumpkin, I could use a can of pumpkin pie filling, omit the pumpkin pie spice, and get the same result.  I haven't tried it though, so it's just a guess.

The recipe makes about 36 pumpkin bites using a mini muffin tin.

I can eat two of these without any issues from the sugar.

Pumpkin Bites

1 box yellow cake mix
1 can pumpkin (not pie filling)
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 bag of chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Prepare a mini muffin tin.  I use either Pam butter flavored cooking spray or Wilton Cake Release.
3. Mix the cake mix, pumpkin, and pumpkin pie spice until combined.  Batter will be thick.  
4. Add the chocolate chips and stir.
5. Spoon about a tablespoon of batter into each muffin cup.
6. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a bites comes out clean.