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Recipe: Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins

Muffins
Pumpkin is one of my favorite flavors. I say flavor, not vegetable, because most people in the U.S. do not eat pumpkin in its vegetable form. Instead they enjoy it as a flavor in coffee, cookies, cakes, and pie. 

Unfortunately, the majority of those forms of pumpkin are loaded with extra sugars and fats while being devoid of the many nutrients found in the pumpkin itself.

This recipe is a middle ground for me. I get the health benefits and taste of pumpkin without all the extra calories or guilt I get from eating half a pumpkin pie. I also get fiber, which will help make me feel full longer.

A lot of the ingredients I use can be swapped out, but it will change the calories and macros. For example, you can swap the egg beaters for two whole eggs, but you're adding 10g of fat to the recipe. 

The same goes for your choice of sweetener. Stevia is zero calorie while agave syrup would add 480cal and 124g of carbohydrates. For my recipe I split between two; 1/4 cup Stevia and 1/4 cup agave syrup.

The choice is yours. Go with what fits your personal needs and I can promise you it will still be better for you than store bought muffins. 

Servings: 12
Nutrition: 160cal, 6.5g fat, 21g carbs, 4g protein

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup olive oil or melted coconut oil
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/3 cup old fashioned rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup sweetener (Stevia, Splenda for baking, agave syrup, or honey)
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/2 cup Egg Beaters
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Directions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 325°F.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, eggs, and milk. This is necessary if you used eggs with yolk.
  3. Add all other ingredients into the bowl mixing slowly by hand. An electric mixer might be easier, but it will make your batter more dense resulting in hard muffins.
  4. Coat a muffin tray with PAM, butter, or olive oil (again, your choice) then spread the muffin mixture equally to each spot in the tray.
  5. Sprinkle additional oats on top to add some texture and flavor.
  6. Bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes. Poke them with a toothpick to see if they are done; if the toothpick comes out dry, the muffins are completely baked.
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Location: Williamsburg, VA, USA

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