Perfect Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins

Wowza! I never use that word but it’s what blurted out after the first bite of these moist, spicy and healthy pumpkin muffins, a recipe from a reader. The recipe starts with 100% whole wheat flour and uses just 1/4 cup of oil – that's half the usual oil or butter for a dozen muffins. Plus the recipe somehow begs for adaptation: I made three variations – all easy, all with pantry ingredients, even one that’s a healthy makeover of the Starbucks Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffin. And then I invited Kitchen Parade readers to try the muffins and play with their own variations. Just look at all the rave reviews!

Real Food, Fresh & Flexible. A Fall Classic. Budget Friendly. Great for Meal Prep. Rave Reviews.

~ Skip Straight to the Recipe ~
~ Perfect Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins ~
~ Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffins Like Starbucks' ~

COMPLIMENTS!

• "The liqueur-soaked currants made them sublime! " ~ Rami
• "... the Starbucks version of the muffins ... are delicious!" ~ Judy
• "This is a fantastic healthy muffin recipe!" ~ Lindsay
• "The recipe is already filed in our 'keepers' box and I've passed it on to friends." ~ TBergen
• "... they were delicious." ~ Diane
• "I agree, they are PERFECT! Is it the rest time? ... Even my husband, who is "iffy" at best about pumpkin, snarfed these down!" ~ DLA
• "... the pumpkin muffins are the BEST !!!!!!! I've ever made." ~ Gloria BF
• "... these were great! Some of the best I've come across." ~ Anonymous

BEST RECIPES!

• Perfect Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins Made the List!
• Best Recipes of 2010

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A Reader Writes: "I Have a Better Recipe"

Your Dorie Greenspan pumpkin muffin recipe looks pretty good, but I can do better.

Them’s fightin’ words! I thought, when an e-mail arrived from Beth in San Francisco.

But I appreciated her confidence! No prevarication, no namby-pamby maybe-give-this- recipe-a-try-if-you-like introduction from her, thank you very much. The bold endorsement grabbed me as much as the ingredient list. Just a quarter cup of fat? One hundred percent whole wheat flour? All those fall spices, my favorites?

So Beth sold me, would she have sold you, too?

Here’s what Beth wrote:

I usually scoff at recipes calling for oil and water instead of buttermilk and, well, butter. But I do not scoff at recipes with stone-ground whole wheat flour that still turn out to be perfectly – and I mean perfectly – moist and utterly, utterly creamy and amazing in your mouth.

They are easy but they always turn out. You can make them any size you like, they can be turned into cupcakes by adding cream cheese frosting. Take them to an event and everybody begs for the recipe.

Give them a shot; they are one of the best recipes I have ever laid my hands on.

And so I did.

Batch #1: Wowza.

The first batch, by accident I used pumpkin pie filling instead of 100% pumpkin purée. Yeah. Wowza.

You know how recipes, including mine, always say, “Buy the pure pumpkin purée, not the pumpkin pie filling.”? Well, I’m here to tell you, pumpkin pie filling works just fine in this recipe, in fact, I might recommend the spice-forward and chewy-crusted muffins if you’re headed in the cream-cheese frosting cupcake direction.

I should have known.

After all, didn’t Beth promise? These muffins always work out.

Batch #2: A Starbucks Muffin Copycat Makeover.

The second batch, I did a healthy makeover of the Starbucks Cream Cheese Pumpkin muffins.

• STARBUCKS' MUFFINS The Starbucks originals are oh-so-tempting looking but yikes people, a Starbucks muffins adds up to 470 calories!
• THIS MAKEOVER RECIPE My healthy makeover muffins? Just 230 calories!

There's a trick to working with the cream cheese that's the "surprise inside" a Starbucks pumpkin muffin. It's an easy one!

First mix the muffin batter, then let it rest for an hour.

While the batter rests, quickly freeze the cream cheese mixture (recipe below) before slipping it into the muffin batter. Just spread the mixture on a piece of waxed paper, wrap and freeze. Then cut the frozen mixture into twelve pieces. The cream cheese mixture keeps in the freezer for a few weeks if you want to make a mixed batch, some with cream cheese, some without.

One Batch After Another.

More muffins!

The third batch, I kept simple, topping only with a few pumpkin seeds. The fourth batch, I did four muffins of each variation! The fifth and sixth batches, I just enjoyed each and every muffin, straight out of the oven and even, get this, up to four and five days later, they’re still fresh!

So yes, I have a brand-new pumpkin muffin recipe – thank you, Beth!

In the last four weeks, I've made pumpkin muffins four times with the new recipe. That old Dorie Greenspan recipe? I made once in four years. That'll tell you something!

And the new recipe, compared to Dorie's recipe, has just half the calories, half the Weight Watchers points.

You heard it here first. Wowza!!

Easy Measuring by Weight, Not Volume

This is another "trick" – and it works with nearly all of my recipes not just with pumpkin muffins.

Careful readers perhaps have noticed that for awhile now, I include metric measurements for some ingredients, especially for baking. I've especially learned to appreciate recipes where no measuring cups are needed, when the ingredients can be added one at a time using a kitchen scale. That's why, for example, in this recipe, I show the weight of the water and the oil in addition to the volume. It makes mixing these easy muffins such a snap!

RESOURCES This is the kitchen scale (affiliate link) I've used for years. I use it every single day. Every.Single.Day. My Disclosure Promise

Bookmark! PIN! Share!

How do you save and share favorite recipes? recipes that fit your personal cooking style? a particular recipe your mom or daughter or best friend would just love? If this recipe flexible muffin recipe hits the mark, go ahead, save and share! I'd be honored ...

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READER RECIPE: PERFECT WHOLE WHEAT PUMPKIN MUFFINS

Hands-on time: 15 minutes to mix, 5 minutes to fill
Plan Ahead! for the Resting time (see TIPS): 1 hour
Time to table: 2 hours
Makes 12 standard-size muffins

FLOUR MIXTURE
• 1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour (see TIPS), fluffed to aerate before measuring or 187 grams
• 1 cup (200g) sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves

PUMPKIN MIXTURE
• 1 large egg, see TIPS (if doubling the recipe, use 3 eggs)
• 1/4 cup (55g) vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup (60g) water
• 3/4 cup (185g, about half a 15-ounce can) canned 100% pumpkin purée (see TIPS)

DRIED FRUIT
• 1/2 cup (60g) dried cranberries or currants, optional but recommended
• Orange liqueur to cover, optional

FLOUR MIXTURE In a large bowl, stir together the flour mixture.

PUMPKIN MIXTURE In a second bowl, whisk the egg until well combined, add the remaining ingredients and whisk until just combined.

COMBINE & REST With a spatula or wooden spoon, stir the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture. Let the batter rest at room temperature for an hour. (Now’s a good time to set a timer for 45 minutes to remind yourself to heat the oven.)

DRIED FRUIT If the fruit is dry, soak in liqueur to plump up while the muffin batter rests. Just before baking, drain off the liqueur and gently stir into the batter.

BAKE Heat the oven to 400F/200C. Lightly spray a muffin tin or line muffins tins with (my favorite) silicone cupcake liners. With two spoons, one to scoop and one to scrape, fill the muffin tins, then gently smooth the tops. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool for 5 minutes before gently removing from the muffin tin and serving.

ALANNA’s TIPS Beth recommends stone-ground 100% whole wheat flour for its coarseness. I’ve used the stone-ground flour and regular whole wheat flour and find them interchangeable. But if you’d like to seek out stone-ground whole wheat flour, check out the Bob’s Red Mill shelves at the grocery store, otherwise order straight from Bob’s Red Mill online. I have adapted Beth’s recipe a smidgen, halving the recipe for just 12 muffins, adding a little more salt, soaking the dried fruit in a liqueur for plumpness, a good thing in dried fruit. Beth’s original recipe for two dozen muffins called for 3 eggs. For a single dozen muffins, I’ve tested with 1-1/2 eggs and just a single egg. Both work! So what about that hour-long rest period? What’s it for and is it necessary? One batch, I baked a half dozen muffins straight off (no resting period) and the remaining muffins with a 30-minute rest period. The rest does make a difference in the texture of the muffins’ crust. After the rest, the muffins’ outside edges are chewier, also sweeter somehow, almost caramelized. So I’m sold, the rest converts very good pumpkin muffins into wowza-great pumpkin muffins. Don’t we all appreciate a good nap? Muffins too, it seems.

CORRECTION A prior version of this recipe specified 250g of whole wheat flour. That's way too much flour and results in muffins that are craggy and slightly dry. The correct amount of flour is 187g. I do apologize for the error ...

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Perfect Whole-Wheat Pumpkin Muffin Without/With Dried Fruit: 174/197 Calories; 5g Tot Fat; 1g Sat Fat; 17mg Cholesterol; 325/320mg Sodium; 30/35g Carb; 2g Fiber; 17/22g Sugar; 3g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS Old Points 4 & PointsPlus 5 & SmartPoints 7/9 & Freestyle 7/8 & myWW green 7/8 & blue 7/8 & purple 7/8 & future WW points

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CREAM CHEESE PUMPKIN MUFFINS LIKE STARBUCKS'

CREAM CHEESE MIXTURE
• 4 ounces (115g) low-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel), room temperature
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

• 12 toasted pecan halves

Mix the muffins (recipe above but skip the dried fruit) then let rest for an hour.

While the muffin batter rests, stir together the cream cheese, brown sugar and vanilla. Spread the mixture onto a piece of waxed paper, it should be about a half-inch thick (see photo above to see how). Wrap the waxed paper around the mixture and freeze.

Just before baking, fill the muffin tins with the muffin batter. Cut the frozen cream cheese mixture into 12 roughly equivalent pieces. Gently push one piece partially into the center of each muffin cup's batter, leaving the top exposed. Top the muffin batter cross-wise with a pecan half.

Bake same as above.

NUTRITION INFORMATION
My Recipe, Per Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffin, see my Starbucks Copycat & Makeover recipe above: 230 Calories; 10g Tot Fat; 2g Sat Fat; 24mg Cholesterol; 363mg Sodium; 32g Carb; 2g Fiber; 19g Sugar; 4g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS Old Points 5 & PointsPlus 6 & SmartPoints 9 & Freestyle 9 & myWW green 9 & blue 9 & purple 9 future WW points

versus

For Comparison, the Starbucks Recipe, Per Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffin (from Starbucks): 470 Calories; 24g Tot Fat; 6g Sat Fat; 85mg Cholesterol; 420 Sodium; 60g Carb; 1g Fiber; 28g Sugar; 6g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS Old Points 11 & Points Plus 13 & SmartPoints 19 & Freestyle 19 & myWW green 18 & blue 18 & purple 18 future WW points

So Hey Starbucks Listen up, please! Your Starbucks Cream Cheese Muffin has 2X the calories, 2.5X the fat, 2X the carbs, 1.5X the sugar and 2X the Weight Watchers points than my recipe. Please! A company like Starbucks can do better! Data Source NutritionData

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Tis the Season: Ubiquitous Pumpkin

more
~ pumpkin recipes ~

• THE RECIPE Autumn Pumpkin Bread My forever recipe, forever and ever.
• ANOTHER TAKE Zucchini Bread with Pumpkin A A season-crossing quick bread with a healthy makeover.

• THE RECIPE Pumpkin Corn Bread Who's got a cup of leftover pumpkin purée?
• ANOTHER TAKE Sweet Potato Cornbread Golden color + naturally gluten-free = a total winner.

• THE RECIPE Pumpkin Bars Quick and easy, filled with fall spices.
• ANOTHER TAKE Baked Pumpkin Donuts & Donut Holes

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Shop Your Pantry First

(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

~ pumpkin ~
~ dried fruit recipes ~
~ cream cheese recipes ~

~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail, you'll find my current address in the FAQs. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, for more scratch cooking recipes using whole, healthful ingredients, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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