Not Your Grandma's Pumpkin Muffins

Apparently, once upon a time, someone’s grandma made pumpkin muffins. Grandma played it pretty loose with her recipe though, because it somehow made it into my hands.  I’m sure her muffins were really tasty, but I felt they needed slight modification. 

I’ve had this recipe stuck to my fridge for nigh on a month now, and every weekend I think about making them, because I love hot, fresh muffins. Usually twice as much when I make them. So I fell out of bed this morning, later than usual because it’s cold, misty and overcast outside and the dogs had no idea it was way past time to eat breakfast without the sun to gauge the hour, and promptly set to mixing.

After I got all my dry ingredients sifted and mixed, I discovered I had no eggs. Argh!  So, I had to make a pit stop mid-bake to run and grab a dozen eggs from the corner store. Which worked out really well, because the corner store was actually closed, and I ended up at the drug store, who not only sells eggs but small, (yet delightful!) Christmas gifts.  Hello, two birds? Meet one stone.

While these muffins were baking I decided they needed to be frosted.  Grandma disagreed, but whatever, she’s not here and these are not really Grandma’s Pumpkin Muffins anymore, anyway. I think a light spread of cream cheese frosting will go a long way on these muffins.  Ok, so cream cheese frosting would go good on just about anything, really.

1 cup Whole Wheat Flour

1 cup All Purpose Flour

1 Tbsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 Tsp salt

1/2 tsp Ground Cloves

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Ground Nutmeg

2/3 Unsweetened Applesauce

1 (generous) Cup Canned Pumpkin

1/3 cup white sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

1 Large Egg

2 Egg Whites

2/3 cup Fat Free Milk

Preheat oven to 400. Coast a 12-hole muffin tin with cooking spray and/or line with cupcake wrappers if desired.

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl;

Combine applesauce, pumpkin, sugar, eggs and milk in a medium bowl; mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon.

Add applesauce mixture to flour mixture and mix until completely incorporated.

Pour batter into muffins tins to each hole is about 2/3 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.