On a chilly October night in the little town of Maple Hollow, a group of friends gathered in Grandma Bea’s kitchen to carve pumpkins and tell ghost stories. The wind howled outside, and the power flickered just as someone whispered, “What’s that noise in the pantry?” Everyone froze. The door creaked open… and out rolled a bag of chocolate chips. “Guess even the ghosts want snacks,” Grandma Bea laughed, tying on her orange apron. “Let’s bake something so good, even the spirits will stay for dessert!”

And that’s how the Midnight Muffins were born — spooky little pumpkin treats that smell like cinnamon, taste like chocolate, and disappear faster than a ghost in moonlight.

Midnight Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 tsp baking soda

• ½ tsp salt

• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1 tsp cinnamon + ½ tsp nutmeg + ½ tsp ginger)

• 2 eggs

• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree

• ½ cup vegetable oil (or melted butter)

• ¼ cup milk

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• ½ cup mini chocolate chips (plus a few for sprinkling)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line or grease a 12-cup muffin tin.

2. In one bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and spices.

3. In another, mix eggs, pumpkin, oil, milk, and vanilla until smooth.

4. Combine wet and dry ingredients — just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips.

5. Fill muffin cups ¾ full and top with a few extra chips.

6. Bake for 18–22 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

7. Cool slightly, then serve warm with a spooky smile!

When the muffins came out of the oven, a warm pumpkin aroma filled the kitchen. The kids bit into the gooey chocolate centers and swore they heard a faint whisper: “Save one for me…” Grandma Bea just winked. “Looks like the ghosts approve.”