Whole Grain Pumpkin Muffins

Hi foodies!  Thanksgiving is tomorrow so I'm sharing a an easy, make-ahead recipe to make breakfast before Thanksgiving a breeze.

I'm sorry I didn't post last week-  I'm hoping to post another recipe this week 🙂.

 Maybe you're like me and need to detox from Halloween  candy and get back to eating whole, healthy foods.  But let's be honest-  it's Fall and that calls for something sweet, perfectly spiced, and full of pumpkin-  is it possible to have such a treat?

Of course, the answer is yes!  Here's how I did it in today's recipe:

1.  Whole Wheat Flour

I cannot stress enough how crucial whole wheat flour is to healthy baking.  (Sometime, I need to do a post on essential ingredients in the kitchen of a healthy baker.  Any thoughts?)  It's nuttiness perfectly compliments the spices in this recipe.  

2.  Oats

The oats add some nice textural contrast and protein to these muffins.  They give the muffins a hearty chew.

3.  Pure Maple Syrup

As I've said before , just because a natural sweetener is used is used in a baked food does not make it healthy.  However, since pure maple syrup is very sweet, no processed sugar is needed in this recipe (though this streusel could certainly be added on top right before baking.)  And not much pure maple syrup is used. ( Each muffin has less that 10 grams of sugar per serving.)

So there you have it!  A super easy, tasty, and healthy recipe to add to your fall baking arsenal.  I slightly tweaked the recipe from here.  Have a happy Thanksgiving!  Let me know what you're thankful for in the comments below!  I'm thankful for good health, family, friends, and the privilege of living in the freest country on Earth.

Pumpkin Muffins

• 1/3 cup light-tasting olive oil
• 1/2 cup real maple syrup
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup milk 
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour or regular whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup old-fashioned oats

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 
2. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin well and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, add the oil, pure maple syrup, egg, pumpkin puree, milk and vanilla. Whisk to combine well. 
4. In a large bowl, add the baking soda, salt, cinnamon, flour, and oats. Stir to combine.
5.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Don’t over mix here.
6. Divide the batter among the 12 muffin cups. 
7. Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the muffins spring back when lightly touched. 
8. Let the muffins cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then remove and allow them to cool on a wire rack. 
9. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.
10. These muffins stay fresh for three days at room temperature can can be frozen for at least one month.