Healthy Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients

• Whole Wheat Flour: I prefer either King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Flour. Every brand has a slightly different flavor and texture depending on their grinding process. Both these companies take care to control the temperature of the flour during grinding, which preserves the natural flavors, antioxidants and vitamins that are destroyed at warmer temperatures.
• Wheat Bran: The bran is the outer layers of the wheat kernel. It is mostly fiber but also contains vitamins and antioxidants. I use wheat bran to increase the fiber and also bind together the wet ingredients without adding additional calories.
• Oat Bran: I use oat bran for the same reasons as wheat bran but with additional flavor.
• Flaxseed Meal: Flaxseed meal is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and fiber, and it an excellent binder for healthy snacks. The meal absorbs moisture while adding nutrients and a laundry list of health benefits!
• Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix: My pumpkin spice recipe is fine-tuned to work in pumpkin pie as well as it does in these muffins, pumpkin spice dinner rolls, oatmeal, or chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!
• Kosher Salt: Kosher salt is lass salty than table salt and a teaspoon weighs less than other finer ground varieties. It heightens the flavor here and will keep your muffins from tasting dull or flat.
• Baking Soda: Do check the freshness of your baking soda! It does lose potency over time. If it’s not fresh, send it to the back of the refrigerator to absorb some odors, or clean your marble countertops with it!
• Baking Powder: Double acting baking powder will react instantly when it is mixed with an acid and then again when it is heated. Because it is double acting, it has a slower, more stable rise than baking soda alone.
• Low Fat Buttermilk: I generally bake with low fat buttermilk rather than full fat. It provides just enough fat to keep quick breads moist and enough moisture to hydrate the bran. The acidity also reacts with the baking soda for a nice, tall muffin.
• Eggs: Whole eggs allow you to emulsify all that oil into the batter, resulting in moist, not greasy, muffins.
• Coconut Oil: I use organic extra virgin coconut oil in these Pumpkin Bran Muffins because it makes the moistest, most tender crumb! It keeps the muffins moist longer than vegetable oil and has all the added health benefits. Winning.
• Bananas: In an ideal world, I choose bananas that are ripe but only just beginning to spot. I find this to be the peak flavor for these muffins.
• Vanilla Extract: Vanilla Extract adds a beautiful flavor itself but it also boosts the flavor of other ingredients around it like pumpkin and banana!
• Dark Brown Sugar: Using dark brown sugar adds sweetness along with a little moisture. This will keep the muffins softer while adding a nice, rich molasses flavor. Coconut sugar or light brown sugar can be substituted if desired.
• Pumpkin Puree: I use Libby’s pumpkin puree because it is consistent and that is what I use to develop all my recipes. Use whichever brand you prefer. Just be sure to grab pure pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie mix!
• Raisins: Raisins add a little sweetness and a wonderful chewy texture to these muffins. They blend perfectly with the spices for the perfect balance of flavors.

Possible Variations & Substitutions

• Make your own pumpkin puree. I am always in favor of a no-harm shortcut, but if you want to use homemade pumpkin puree, go for it! Just know that canned pumpkin puree is tightly controlled within a certain moisture percentage and my recipes are tested with Libby’s. Always and forever.  
• Add some mix-ins! I love the flavor combination of raisins, pumpkin and pumpkin spice, but feel free to add whichever dried fruit you prefer. Cherries, chocolate chips and nuts are all amazing options!  
• Make them refined sugar free: You could substitute coconut palm sugar for the dark brown sugar in this recipe if you prefer.
• Make them gluten free. You can make these healthy pumpkin muffins gluten free by substituting almond flour or your favorite gluten free all-purpose flour. It will change the texture because gluten serves a purpose.

How to Make Healthy Pumpkin Muffins

Use these instructions to make the perfect healthy pumpkin muffins every time! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

Step 1: Preheat oven to 400° F and spray 12 muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray or line with cupcake liners.

Step 2: Mix buttermilk, wheat bran and oat bran in a small bowl and set aside.

Step 3: In a separate medium bowl combine whole wheat flour, flaxseed, pumpkin spice mix, salt, baking soda and baking powder and set aside.

Step 4: In a large bowl whisk together sugar, melted coconut oil, egg, vanilla, banana and pumpkin. Whisk thoroughly.

Step 5: Add pumpkin mixture and buttermilk mixture to the dry mixture and stir gently until just combined and a few lumps remain. Fold in raisins.

Step 6: Pour or scoop into prepared tins. Fill the cups all the way to the top to ensure you get nice tall muffins.

Step 7: Bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only a few clinging crumbs.