Easy, Healthy Pumpkin and Wheat Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe

Are you looking for a new, creative and tasty pumpkin recipe besides the traditional pumpkin pie this season? I love pumpkin pie, but there are other options for any occasion. For a fall favorite, try my chocolate chip pumpkin wheat muffins. I adapted this recipe from a former one that produced muffins that were oilier and doughier. While I’ll admit the previous version was perhaps a bit more decadent and delicious, these newly revised muffins offer the taste while cutting back on sugar, fat, and calories.

I would make those wonderful chocolate chip pumpkin muffins for early morning yard sale trips that my younger brother and I would plan. If it makes you feel any better, he just tried my revised muffins tonight and loved them! He said that he remembers the oilier taste, how this recipe tastes just as good, and how he feels good about eating something that tastes healthier. Basically, since the original recipe, I’ve revised the recipe to cut back on sugar, white flour, and fat, while not sacrificing taste. Check out this easy and pretty healthy and tasty recipe!

4 eggs

¾ cup sugar

¾ cup brown sugar

1 can (15-16 oz) pumpkin

1 cup applesauce

½ cup canola oil

2 t. vanilla

2 cups wheat flour

1 cup white flour

2 t. baking soda

2 t. baking powder

1 t. salt

1 heaping t. cinnamon

1 12 oz bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a large mixing bowl, beat the first seven ingredients until smooth. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl and mix together. Stir into pumpkin mixture, mixing well. Add in chocolate chips; mix into dough.

Grease or spray muffin pan, or line with muffin cups. Fill ¾ full with batter. Bake at 400 degrees for up to 20 minutes, depending on your oven. Check after 15 minutes with the toothpick test; if the inserted toothpick comes out clean, the muffins are ready. Cool in muffin pan about ten minutes before dumping onto a wire rack. To ensure that muffins don’t stick, move a butter knife around edges of muffins before emptying pan.

Yield: 24 muffins

For my latest batch, instead of filling two muffin pans, I poured half of the batter into a loaf pan. In this case, I cooked it for 25 minutes.

These muffins are quick to mix up and quick to bake. They’re also delightfully quick to eat with a dollop of butter spread on them.

Try them! I’d appreciate any feedback you might have, including your own clever adaptations.

Yes, you can freeze the leftover applesauce. Sometimes I have a few more cups left when I buy a big jar of it. If I don't think I'll use it for anything else, I freeze it in one-cup servings until I'm ready to use it for another recipe. It's amazing what freezes well--perhaps some things you wouldn't even think about!