PUMPKIN SPICE MUFFINS >> gluten-free & oil-free
Aug 31, 2020
We caught our first cool fall breeze this week. Do you know what that means? It’s pumpkin season!
Finding yourself low on energy immediately before your workout? I love grabbing one of these muffins as I drive to the gym! They are low in fats so they don't sit heavy in your stomach but will offer a boost of energy before your workout.
If you'd like to enjoy the muffins as a more satisfying snack I suggest adding a smear or nut butter or try serving them with a side of high-protein cottage cheese or Greek yogurt! The extra fats from nut butter or protein from cottage cheese will slow the digestion of the carbs in the muffins to keep you feeling satisfied for hours.
These muffins are made extra wholesome with a few ingredient swaps.
- Oat flour. Instead of using white flour I made oat flour. Simple measure out 2 cups (160g) of oats and grind them in a hand blender or food processor to a flour-like texture.
- Greek yogurt. I used Greek yogurt as a subtitle for oil making the muffins lower in fat and an excellent pre-workout carb-containing snack. You can add extra fats to the muffins by serving them with a smear of almond butter or peanut butter.
- Maple syrup. Maple syrup isn't superior compared to other forms of added sugar like brown sugar or white sugar in terms of digestion rate and blood sugar regulation. However, maple syrup does offer a boost of minerals including manganese and zinc. If you don't have maple syrup you can use a different liquid sweetener like honey or equal amounts of brown sugar.
- Spices. The cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice offer more than just a fall aroma to these muffins. Spices contain antioxidants that boost the nutrient content!
- Pumpkin. Pumpkin puree os low in calories but rich in fibre and vitamin A. The pumpkin adds flavour and moisture to the muffins.
- Chocolate. We chose dark chocolate chunks as our add-in. Chocolate contains healthy fats, magnesium, and antioxidants for a boost of nutrition. You can try other add-ins like pumpkin seeds, pecans, or walnuts!
These pumpkin muffins have the magical power to convert “healthy muffin” skeptics into fans. As a bonus, you can make them in one bowl for easy clean up, mix up the add-ins, and you can freeze them to enjoy later. Let's make some!
PUMPKIN SPICE MUFFINS
* Search "Vitality Nutrition - Pumpkin Spice Muffins" in MyFitnessPal to log this recipe in your food diary.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup (225g) plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cup (200g) pureed 100% pumpkin
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup maple syrup* (add ½ cup for a sweeter muffin)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups rolled oats (160g), ground
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (85g) chocolate chips**
OPTIONS:
* add 1/2 cup of maple syrup for a sweeter muffin. You can substitute brown sugar.
** you can mix up the add-ins with dark chocolate chunks, walnuts, or pecans. I roughly chopped 9 squares from a 85% Lindt dark chocolate bar for my most recent batch!
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 400F and prepare a muffin tin by spraying the cavities with cooking spray or lining them with paper liners. If using paper liners, still spray the liners as the lack of oil makes the muffins a bit stickier.
- Combine the Greek yogurt, pumpkin, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- Blend the rolled oats into a fine powder (using a blender or Magic Bullet) until it has the consistency of whole wheat flour. Stir in baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt into the flour fixture.
- Then, add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients (ie. Greek yogurt, pumpkin, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla).
- Stir in the chocolate chips or other add-in of choice.
- Pour batter into prepared muffin tin.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes.
Pssst....
If you used canned pumpkin for this recipe, you'll likely have leftovers. Either save the extra to make another batch of muffins or try it in our pumpkin curry or pumpkin waffles!I WANNA KNOW!
Did you try this recipe? Comment below! Snap a photo and tag me on Instagram so I can see your creation!
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