Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

I’m going to be honest with you all and admit that I have no idea what happened to summer. We didn’t get blasted by the snowfall that everyone in the prairies experienced (like most of Trevor’s family), but I’m still finding myself in denial about the chilly weather and don’t get me started on the lack of sunlight in the morning. We’re still trying to find our groove in our new place and now when my alarm goes off, I’m not only disoriented that our bed is facing a completely different way, but now the lack of natural light is throwing me off. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before I walk into the wall or trip over the mountain of laundry I’ve managed to create in the past week.

I also haven’t been baking as much as I usually do because I’m still learning my way around my new(er) kitchen. The space is a little bit tighter and I’m still trying to figure out where I put everything in the haste that was unpacking everything and jumping on a plane to England. All in due time I suppose, but hopefully I’ll be able to find my groove by the end of this month as I have a few more recipes that I’ve been meaning to try out.

Since my mornings are so out of whack with our new place, a new routine and a new commute, I’ve been at a total loss for what to eat for breakfast. Usually my go-to is a bowl of overnight oats that I make the night before, but since the move I haven’t been able to wrap my head around the idea of pre-planning meals like I used to. Also, I’m super convinced that most of the red-lid rubbermaid containers that were the perfect size for my overnight oats have grown legs and wandered away (also known as the “husband-who-takes-his-lunch-to-work-may-not-always-bring-the-containers-home” syndrome).

So instead of overnight oats, my breakfasts were been all over the map. Until last week when I though “duh, why don’t I just make some muffins to last us through the week?” Sometimes in the routine of trying to think about something new and awesome and (hopefully) creative to bake, I tend to forget the simplicity of making a batch of wholesome, stick-to-your-teeth-with-goodness muffins. And these pumpkin muffins are just that. Chewy, almost cake-like in texture and wholesomely made with whole wheat flour. Don’t skip out out on the chocolate chips either, it’s not getting any lighter out and I have a feeling that winter could just be lurking around the corner.

Print

Yield: 16-18 muffins

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp grated ginger
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup pumpkin puree*
• 1/3 cup almond milk**
• 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350*F. Line your muffin tray with paper liners or lightly coat with a non-stick baking spray.
2. In a small bowl or measuring cup, measure almond milk and add the apple cider vinegar. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together whole wheat pastry flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, grated ginger, salt and chocolate chips. Make a small well in the dry ingredients.
4. In a separate bowl, stir together brown sugar, pumpkin puree, almond milk/apple cider vinegar mixture, vegetable oil, eggs, molasses and vanilla extract. I find that using a spatula helps mix everything together.
5. Pour the wet mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Make sure there are no pockets of flour in the batter.
6. Fill muffin tin 3/4 full of batter and bake for 13-15 minutes until the tops spring back lightly when touched. Remove from the oven and let stand for 3 minutes before gently removing with a butter knife. Let cool on a wired rack and enjoy!

*Canned pumpkin is fine, just make sure it’s pure pumpkin and not pie filling.

**Regular milk can also be used.

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light (Marge Perry, November 2006)