Healthy Pumpkin Muffins 

I have recently been on a health food kick ever since I found out how bad white sugar is for the body. Refined sugar can affect your mood and your energy level.  This is, however, different from natural sugars which occur in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and can lower your risk of many diseases and some cancers.  

In an effort to curb my sugar intake I turned to google in search of healthy recipes. My mom actually found a recipe for “healthy pumpkin muffins” (the quotes are used because they are not necessarily healthy, they just don’t contain as much refined sugar) on a baking site called “Cookie and Kate.” At first I was skeptical, because I don’t normally like muffins, however, these were delicious! I couldn’t believe they didn’t have any white sugar! 

Below is the recipe and ingredients, with my comments and additions:

Ingredients 

• ⅓ cup  melted coconut oil  
• ½ cup  maple syrup or honey (I used half and half) 
• 2  eggs, at room temperature 

• 1 cup  pumpkin purée 
• ¼ cup  milk of choice (I used whole) 
• 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 (Go light on the cloves, they tend to be very strong) 
• 1 teaspoon  baking soda 
• 1 teaspoon  vanilla extract 

• ½ teaspoon  salt 
• 1 ¾ cups whole wheat flour (I did half white flour and half whole wheat because whole wheat can make it too dense) 
• ⅓ cup  old-fashioned oats 

Optional additions that I like to add are cranberries and walnuts, however, you can also add other dried fruit or nuts (just make sure everything is either chopped up or smashed into small pieces). Adding this makes for a sweeter flavor and a crunch! 

Instructions  

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius) 

1. In a large bowl, beat the oil and maple syrup or honey together with a whisk 

1. Add the eggs and beat well 

1. Add the pumpkin purée, milk, pumpkin spice blend, baking soda, vanilla extract, and salt 

1. Add the flour and oats to the bowl and mix with a large spoon, just until combined  

1. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups  

1. Bake muffins for 22 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean 

I know this recipe isn’t completely free of added sugars, but I do hope that you enjoy these “healthy” muffins! 

More information can be found at the following websites:

https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/the-sweet-danger-of-sugar 

https://cookieandkate.com/healthy-maple-pumpkin-muffins/