Chocolate 3 Ingredient Muffins (With Secret Ingredient)!
My family LOVES these muffins! I love that they are ONLY three ingredients and they have a hidden ingredient that nobody will know is there! Pumpkin!! There is no oil or eggs in this recipe! Just water, pumpkin, cake mix and chocolate! They are so much better for you and I promise you can’t even taste the pumpkin! Plus, if you are on weight watchers, these have a low points value!
Chocolate 3 ingredient muffins
1 boxed chocolate cake mix (I used sugar free)
1 small can of pumpkin puree 15 ounce
6 ounces of chocolate chips
**MAKES 48 mini cupcakes**
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix together cake mix and canned pumpkin. It is best to use a mixer for about 2 minutes on medium speed to get fluffier cupcakes.
Add in almost all of the 6 ounces of chocolate chips
Put in a muffin tin with liners. Batter is dense and does not rise much so these can be filled to the top.
Add a few tiny chips to the tops.
Bake for 22-25 min until a toothpick inserted comes out clean!
**ENJOY!**
110 Comments
Kayla
This looks delicious and super easy! I’ll be trying this soon, thank you for sharing!
Melissa
How are you getting 2PP? Im coming up with 3PP.
Colleen
These are now 3 points each with the newer WW point system. They used to be 1 point!
Laura
I think the P+ on this is off – I calculated 4P+ for just the mix (not including pumpkin and chips).
hodgkiss1122
The cake mIx calculates the nutritional infO based on the eggs and oil. This uses only the dry cake mix.
Anne
The mix counts the nutrition for the ingredients of just the mix (not the eggs/oil) but mine had 10 “servings” per box. If you make 24 cupcakes it comes out to 2 PP for the mix, not counting the ingredients you add.
Susan DiDomenico
Your description says there is water. Is that just an oversight?
Pam
Does anyone know the pt value if you use regular cake mix?
HB
These are awesome! I have made these with regular (not sugar-free) spice cake mix and they are 4 points plus each. I bet the sugar free cake mix makes them lower points. Will have to try with chocolate mix – yum!
hodgkiss1122
Thanks for the comment! These should make 24 cupcakes. The sugar free cake mIx didn’t seem tO make a huge difference, we just prefer it. I will have to buy both and compare.
suzanne
Do you not use the eggs and oil to make the cake mix?
hodgkiss1122
No. You only use the dry cake mix and the pumpkin! I think this is why some people are coming up with more points. This recipe came from a weight watchers meeting! Happy Baking!
LeAnn W.
So are they one point if they are mini cupcakes or one point as a regular size cupcake?
Paula dunbar
Looks yummy. Could you tell me how many calories? I am not on weight watchers but do count calories.
Jennifer Wrobel Voelker
They were about 88 calories per one large muffin when I made them last time. I didn’t use the chocolate chips just the sugar free chocolate cake mix and the can of pumpkin.
Linda
What is the difference between ww points and wwpp points?
MC
You should also try Spice Cake mix with Cinnamon Chips (found at Albertson’s) and 1 can of pumpkin. Bake as above and Deeeeeelicious!
hodgkiss1122
Sounds great!! Would be yummy with coffee or tea in the fall!
leslie
How many OUnces is in a small can of pumpkin, just for a reference?
Dawn
These are delicious!!!!!
SJ
How many pts. if not a SF cake mix? Looks delish! Thanks 😉
Nicole
Loved them. I just made them and they are so good! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Sam
These are great! But I would like to note for future bakers — filling them to the top is a little ambitious. I filled mine all the way expecting them only to rise a little and they got HUGE. Maybe different brands vary? At any rate, thank you!
hodgkiss1122
Thanks for trying them! I love that it is a part of your blog!!
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Julie
I put your ingredients as pictured and listed into etools and for 24 cupcakes, it’s 3 P+ per muffin. To do this I had to find the products and their nutritional information, as none of them were listed in etools by specific brand/product.
If you eliminate the chocolate chips completely, then you get 2 P+ per muffin.
If you eliminate the pumpkin puree, it’s still 2 P+ per muffin.
And remember, in recipe builder, the nutritional information from fruits and veggies does count to the total points. Just better to have the correct information.
Gretchen
I calculated 3 points plus with a pillsbury sugar free devil’s food cake mix.
momscriber
If it makes 48 mini cupcakes, each of those is probably 1 WW pt., making one of 24 standard cupcakes 2 WW pts. each.
Emalee
Just made these and ate one. So delicious!!
April Driggers
Has anyone done this using something other than chocolate? (don’t throw things but I don’t really like chocolate cake)
hodgkiss1122
There are many different ways to make these! What cake flavor DO you like?
Emalee
Yes! I made a batch using spice cake mix and white collate chips. Amazing!!
heather
strawberry cake mix is REALLY good surprisingly.. the spice cake mix is really good and you can use butterscotch chips with that too.. you can even do this with a brownie mix
hodgkiss1122
Oh yum! I love brownie! I will have to try the strawberry one!
Sharon
I use spice cake mix and 1 (I think 15 oz) can of pumpkin. I bake in a 9″ X 9″ pan and cut into 20 pieces for a snack cake. I think it’s 3 pp per piece. Add fat free Cool Whip and its a great low point dessert.
Debbie Jett
Just made them and can’t wait to dig in !! Thank you for the treat:) happy RVing
Karen
Cake mix for 12 cupcakes is 4PPV per cupcake. Chips are 2PPV per cupcake. Pumpkin is 0. This is with regular cake mix not sugar free. So if one makes 12 cupcakes that’s 6 PPV per cupcake.
Susan
can you taste any of the pumpkin flavor? I don’t like pumpkin but love chocolate!
hodgkiss1122
My boys and my husband could not tell… I could tell slightly, but it does not have a strong pumpkin flavor!
Yvette
How much water did you use?
Julie
I just ran this through Weight Watchers Recipe Builder and the Point+ calculation is correct for 48 mini cupcakes. Looks yummy! I’m sure they would freeze well.
Ashley
My chocolate chips disappeared before I could make these (11-year old boy in the house) but they turned out great even without them!
Donice LaGrange
The pointplus value on this, any flavor cake mix (Sugar free or regular doesn’t seem to matter) for an 18 oz cake mix mixed with a 15 oz can of pure pumpkin, is 5 points plus value per cupcake if you bake them as 12 servings. This is on hungry girls tv show just this week, where you can see the recipe for chocolate ones using Duncan Hines cake mix. So 24 cupcakes would be 2.5 ppv each. (The old points system used to count these as 1 point each for 24 servings)
Sarah
These are SO good…I’ve done them before with Spice cake mix, but the chocolate never dawned on me…duh! Really soothed my chocolate craving! One quick tip: spray paper liners with a little Pam…I didn’t and I wished I had…they were stuck like glue! Still yummy, though, even if we were scraping the liners with our teeth!
Nan
Sarah, I thought my papers were stuck too, but after freezing them and then taking one out and letting it thaw on it’s own, the papers came off without a problem. Love the spice, can of pumpkin and 1 cup of water. Have chocolate in the oven now. Doesn’t anyone use water? Mine came out like moist spongy cupcakes! Yummy!
Laurie
I have the pickiest 9 year old daughter. Made these yesterday with the sugarfree chocolate cake mix. Didn’t tell her I made them with pumpkin because I knew she would stick her nose up at them if I did. She ate 3 yesterday and one for breakfast today – she loves them. Even my son who doesn’t like chocolate likes these. They are so moist and flavorful.
Emma
I accidentally purchased sugar free brownie mix and didn’t realize it until I started making these. Oh well! They are still delish. It made 12 large muffins. For the sugar free brownie mix and pumpkin (I didn’t use the chocolate chips), I calculated them to be 3.3 points plus each. Not a bad points plus cost for a huge chocolate muffin! I hope that info is helpful for someone. :+)
diana young
These are really good, and the texture is pretty much the same as a regular recipe, going to try red velvet with white chocolate chips and maybe a glaze on top.
hodgkiss1122
Oooh yeah! I love red velvet cake! I DID do a spice cake and caramel melted on the top….. very Autumn like! Please stop by and let us know if you do it! 🙂
Paigey Poo
That sounds delightful Diana, please let us all know how the red velvet ones turn out!!
Maureen Primosch
i just used the recipe builder to calculate these. Using a box of regular chocolate cake mix, libby’s pumpkin and tollhouse chips, it came out to 2 pp per MINI muffin. If you were to make just 12 of these with the batter, they’d be 8 pp each or 4 pp each if you made 24.
Becky
Yummy, just took mine out of oven a little over 1/2 hour ago! SO moist and I made the regular size cupcakes. I mixed them for at least 2 minutes or so (as someone had mentioned earlier) and they are fluffy and not as dense. They did rise quite a bit so I would NOT fill to the top of liner. It made 18 regular size cupcakes for me. I used a triple chocolate cake, so good!
Linda
I will try these. I always use the recipe that calls for 1can pumpkin and a box of devel food cake mix. I have made these in min form and even served them to people an have always been asked for the recipe. No pumpkin taste at all. They taste like brownies. Sometimes I set out the fat free cool whip to top it off. The minis are 1point each and a bit more with the cool whip. I got this from a weight watchers meeting years ago. Can’t wait to try this version. Thanks.
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Jocanna
Did you use regular chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips?
hodgkiss1122
I made these with regular chocolate chips!
Mercedes
Can you freeze the left over mix if you only want to make a wee bit at a time?
hodgkiss1122
I don’t really see why you couldn’t since there isn’t any egg in it! If you try it please come back and let me know how it worked!
Heather Fletcher
I just pulled them out of the oven a little bit ago and ate one while it was still warm. They are SUPER moist and taste very very good! This is my first time making something like this, so I wasn’t too sure how I was going to like them. Wow…they are very good and the chips dropped on top give you that extra burst of chocolate. Yum!! I wish I could post the picture of mine here.
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hodgkiss1122
Thanks for the trackback! Enjoy the yumminess!
Wanda Thornton
I made these the other night and my fourteen yr old son grabbed a couple while they were warm and absolutely loved them. I have a picky family so that speaks volumes. Then took them to church and the kids there gobbled them up! I love the fact that they are healthy and yummy, and yes they are very moist!
Jude
Hi there mates, its fantastic post regarding educationand entirely explained, keep it up all the time.
Donna
I use a cup of water as well, and mine pop right out of muffin tin and they are moist and springy! YUM my kids devour them as well 🙂
BriAnn
Instead of cupcakes could it be made in a loaf pan?
mnmmom
I made 19 large cupcakes with SF Choc cake mix and mini choc chips and figured out the points and its exactly 4 WWpoints+ LOVE
Lori
We loved them! I calculated the SF cake mix as 50 points and the Chocolate chips were 24 points. Calculated to be 3 points each for 22 muffins!
mnmmom
is there really a big difference without the SF mix, just using regular, has anyone calculated?
terribell85
all I’d like to know is if I could make this into a cake instead of muffins?
Fkay
Just made mine in a 9x13x2in cake pan….it works!
hodgkiss1122
That is awesome! I haven’t had a chance to try it! Thanks for updating us!
Mandi
I made these but used yellow cake mix and butterscotch chips, made the mini versions. They are DELICIOUS!!
Melissa Flageolle
Do you know if these could be made with Zucchini instead of pumpkin?? I am looking for a very low cal choc zucchini cake/bread and I would love to try this!? By the way, did make the recipe above and my family LOVED it!!!
Diana
They taste very good. BUT! If you dont use them in a few days they become like rubber
Stacy
How long should these be cooked for mini-muffins?
Jessica
Just made these with regular chocolate cake mix, very yummy! My 3 year old daughter ate one and before I knew it she was asking for more 🙂
julie
Mini muffins, about 10-15 minutes
Danielle
I made these today using the sugar free cake batter and they came out GREAT! I do have to say that I added 1 cup of water (no calories, so for me it didn’t matter) because I was afraid my mixer wouldn’t work because the cake batter and pumpkin were so thick together. I was kind of nervous because the last time I attempted to make some “healthy” desserts, they didn’t rise properly and were all doughy, but these came out perfect!! Thank you so much for this idea!
Judy
I refigured the points plus value of these cupcakes with WW etools using a regular cake mix. If you make 24, they are 4 points each. If you make 48 servings, they are 2 points plus values each.
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Brenda
I made these this past weekend and they were GREAT. I will definitely be making them again. I used a SF devils food cake mix and didn’t have any issues with the recipe as is. Thanks!b
Jennifer Hogan (@Jennifer_Hogan)
I loooove these muffins! I’m all about an easy recipe, and these are so tasty! Hubs and I love them, and I blogged about them over at callmenif.blogspot.com. http://call-me-nif.blogspot.com/2012/10/back-to-blogging-of-course-its-post.html
Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Jamie
I just made these and they r delicious! My oldest daughter will not eat anything healthy so I am always trying to hide healthy foods in things she likes. I used the sf cake mix and could not tell the different n no don’t taste the pumpkin at all. I see on here someone made them w spice cake mix n cinnamon chips I will definitely try that next. I did fill mine all the way to the top so they were huge but that was okay w us! Thanks for sharing
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Lisa
Just made these and my very picky 9 year saw the pumpkin when I added it to the mix and she freaked. However, she devoured the cupcake and begged me for more so this is a winner!
hodgkiss1122
Ha! That is great! My boys are 4 and 5 and loved them…. even snuck it past hubby! 🙂
Aarin
I was wondering if you happen to know the calorie information on these. They look amazing!
karla
I didn’t have Choc Chips so I threw in some M&Ms. Kinda defeats the part of being healthy but my daughter thought they were pretty.
hodgkiss1122
Karla- I love it! Still counts as healthy right? I mean pumpkin is packed with good stuff!!! 🙂
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Danielle
If you make large muffins out of this how many do you get and do you know the points? thanks!
stacey
i made these tonight…they are super easy and smell amazing! On a scale of 1-10 10 being the best i would rate them 7-8…they are really moist and great chocolate flavor!
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Cindy
Just made them tonight! I only added one egg and a tad of water! They were Delicious!
Lois
Can this be put in a regular cake pan too?
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Pamela M. Higham
My Sister brought some of these cupcakes over today and they are DELICIOUS! She followed the recipe and did not add anything else.
Jennifer
Thank you for the wonderful feedback!! In our house lately we started adding kale or spinach powder for an extra kick! The kids eat it because all you can taste is the chocolate!
Terri Gentry (@tgentry346)
I am so anxious to try this but I have a question. In the opening paragraph it says that it is just water, pumpkin, cake mix and chocolate. I don’t see water mentioned in the recipe part. Am I just missing it? And if I am I’m so sorry to ask a dumb question. Thanks!
Jennifer
Thank you for pointing that out!! Some people feel like the muffins are too dense the way that the recipe is written, so they add a little bit of water. We like them thick, so we just use the pumpkin, cake mix and chocolate chips!
Rachael
I used white cake and they turned out delish, thank you for posting well worth 4P. Always looking for new foods please keep sharing your recipes.
Jennifer
These are really tasty! I am dying to make them again, but we are doing Paleo. Kinda makes me wonder if I could convert them somehow!
Bonnie
I made these yesterday and took a pan to dance class. I made mine in 2 – 9 x 5″ bread pans and added cooking time until the knife test came out clean. They were a big hit. Delicious.
Jennifer
This is great! My kids eat them without even questioning what is in them! I’m glad you liked them!
Heather
I was wondering.. do you use just the can of pumpkin and the mix or do you at water also?
Patrick Hodgkiss
Hi! It depends on how dense you want your muffins. For a more dense muffin, just use the pumpkin. For a light muffin add about a 1/4 cup of water.
Lori
I made these last night and they were delicious! I was skeptical about not tasting the pumpkin since I don’t like pumpkin at all, but I could not taste it. ( I have also been told you could not taste the coffee in a brownie recipe I made a long time ago, but yuk, I could.) I sprayed my muffin cups and they did not stick at all and since I put the chocolate chips in the batter, I counted it as 3PP. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!!
Elisa M
I made these muffins last night and they are so great! I have 4 boys 15, 14, 11 and 9 and they all enjoyed them and my husband. So, if you want something sweet and good, these are really it. Thanks for sharing…