Healthy Recipes

Healthy Pumpkin Muffins

INGREDIENTS

·         ⅓ cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil*

·         ½ cup maple syrup or honey

·         2 eggs, at room temperature

·         1 cup pumpkin purée

·         ¼ cup milk of choice (I used almond milk)

·         2 teaspoons pumpkin spice blend (or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon ground allspice or cloves)

·         1 teaspoon baking soda

·         1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·         ½ teaspoon salt

·         1 ¾ cups whole wheat flour**

·         ⅓ cup old-fashioned oats, plus more for sprinkling on top

·         Optional: 2 teaspoons turbinado (raw) sugar for a sweet crunch

INSTRUCTIONS

1.       Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease grease 12 cup muffin tin with butter or non-stick cooking spray.

2.      In a large bowl, beat the oil and maple syrup or honey together with a whisk. Add the eggs and beat well. Add the pumpkin purée, milk, pumpkin spice blend, baking soda, vanilla extract and salt.

3.      Add the flour and oats to the bowl and mix with a large spoon, just until combined (a few lumps are ok). If you’d like to add any additional nuts, chocolate, or dried fruit, fold them in now.

4.      Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with about a tablespoon of oats, followed by a light sprinkle of raw sugar and/or pumpkin spice blend if you’d like.

5.      Bake muffins for 22 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean. Place on a cooling rack to cool - these muffins are delicate until they cool down and taste even better after they have rested for a couple of hours! You might need to run a butter knife along the outer edge of the muffins to loosen them from the pan.