I’ve been getting a lot of compliments on my Delicious Pumpkin Muffin and Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffin Recipes. Lately I’ve been baking single batches of the low fat version and adding chocolate chips. Here’s the new and improved recipe:
Reduced Fat Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins
Recipe Summary:
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30-35 minutes for muffins, 20-25 minutes for mini-muffins
Yield: 18 regular size muffins, or 2-3 dozen mini-muffins
Ingredients:
DRY:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
WET:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 large or extra large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups raw shredded pumpkin, fresh or previously frozen
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Prep the baking pans with: butter and flour, nonstick cooking spray, or paper cupcake liners.
- Sift the dry ingredients together: flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients: sugar, applesauce, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla.
- Combine the wet and dry mixtures. Do not over-mix or you’ll get large air pockets or tunnels.
- Fold in the shredded pumpkin and chocolate chips. (If using thawed shredded pumpkin, be sure to squeeze out the excess liquid and discard it.)
- Once the ingredients are all incorporated, pour or scoop into muffin tins. I like to use a small cookie disher for this.
- Bake for approximately 30-35 minutes for regular sized muffins or 20-25 minutes for mini-muffins. At this point, a knife or toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf should come out clean.
- Cool for 15 minutes and turn out onto a cooling rack. I found that one chopstick in each hand is a very effective way to remove warm mini-muffins without getting myself sticky.
- Serve as breakfast, dessert, or snack. Great with coffee and/or ice cream.
- Refrigerate leftovers. Reheat in broiler or toaster oven for best results. Can also microwave them in 15 second increments until the muffins are warm and the chocolate is gooey. Yum!
Variations:
- Substitute the semi-sweet chocolate chips for chopped up pieces of holiday chocolate. Every Easter, Halloween, and Christmas, my kids always get tons of chocolate from family, friends, school, etc. If I bake the chocolate in these muffins, they eat less candy and more fruit (pumpkin and applesauce).
- No need to peel the pumpkin before shredding! Just wash and cut the pumpkin, then shred it in the food processor or salad shooter. This adds color, texture, and probably fiber and vitamins as well. Thanks to readers Sandy and Jeff for the suggestions!
