Killer Pumpkin Muffins

I was watching The Today Show one morning and Jessica Harper was on there cooking her Killer Pumpkin Pancakes which are just delicious.  I believe they are on my blog for Tasty Tuesday Label, I'd post a link but am feeling a lil lazy this afternoon.

Turns out she has a cookbook out called The Crabby Cook and I am a big fan.  These are some sugar free healthy muffins that Finley LOVES.  If I leave her and the container of muffins unattended she will literally eat them all.  She ate 8 at once without me knowing until I saw the empty container.

We just whipped up a batch while waiting for the UPS person to arrive with our package so I thought I would share them with you.  I am making the mini version for Finley instead of the large variety.  I like to make big batches and freeze them so that's what I am doing.  I am still baking them but I think I will have around 60 mini muffins.

Hope you enjoy!

Makes 18 muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup low-fat milk
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup canola oil
1 egg
1 apple (any kind), peeled, cored, and diced
½ cup raisins (optional)
½ cup raw sunflower seeds (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Place 12 paper liners in a standard muffin tin.

2. Combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl.

3. In a larger bowl, beat the pumpkin puree, milk, maple syrup, oil, and egg together until well blended. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture, mixing just until all the ingredients are moist. Fold in the chopped apple, and the raisins and/or sunflower seeds if you’re using them. Fill the muffin cups about two-thirds full with batter.

4. Bake the muffins until they are springy to the touch, about 20 minutes. Serve the muffins hot or at room temperature. (They freeze well.)