Pumpkin Walnut Muffins

It’s officially “Fall” which means it’s time to break out the pumpkin, fire up the oven and bake a little joy. Which is exactly what I did yesterday. OMG! Scrumptious doesn’t even begin to describe how wonderful these muffins are. Every bite is pure pleasure with hints of cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg, crunchy good for you walnuts, chewy currants and of course the star of the show – pumpkin!

Although this is a pretty healthy muffin as far as muffins go don’t let that fool you into thinking it tastes like a healthy muffin. All of my taste testers gave these babies a two thumbs up! We just happen to have two very special guests staying with us for the next few weeks. Yep, my mom and dad came all the way from Nebraska to visit us! They both said they are happy to be my taste testers and mom has volunteered to do dishes when I am cooking! I’m not sure she knew what she was getting herself into when she did that as I am one messy cook! Lucky for them and you, I have been trying many new recipes that have been on the back burner for quite some time just waiting for someone to share them with. I might not be posting as often for the next few weeks because we are trying to squeeze in as much fun as we possibly can!

Pumpkin Walnut Muffins

• 2 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer or use 1 tablespoon ground flax seed mixed with 3 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup warm water (skip if using the ground flax mixed with water)
• 1  3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup currants (mini chocolate chips would also be fun)
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup almond milk

Have ready a 12-cup standard-size silicone muffin pan or line a muffin pan with liners.

Preheat the oven to 375ºF with a rack in the lower third of the oven. Whisk the Egg Replacer with 1/4 cup warm water in a small bowl until frothy, then set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the walnuts and currants.

In a separate bowl, stir together the pumpkin, apple sauce, molasses, and almond milk until no lumps remain. Add the reserved Egg Replacer. Stir this mixture into the flour mixture just until combined.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups and bake for 30 minutes, or until they are golden and a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set the pan on a rack to cool completely before removing the muffins from the pans.

Yield: 12 muffins – see notes below

Serving Size: 1 muffin

Nutritional Information

Per Serving; 174 Calories, 3.9 g Fat, 0 mg Cholesterol, 269.8 mg Sodium, 210 mg Potassium, 33.8 g Carbs, 4.2 g Fiber, 3.1 g Protein, WWPP 5

Notes: Susan on Fat Free Vegan made these into 15 muffins which brings the calories down to around 142 each.

This recipe was adapted from The Starch Solution by Dr. John A. McDougall and Mary McDougall and I found it posted on Fat Free Vegan Blog. The recipe above reflects my changes.

Happy Healthy Fall!

What is one of your favorite recipes using pumpkin? 

Feel free to leave a link to a healthy pumpkin recipe.