Addictive Pumpkin Muffins

This is my lower fat version of a pumpkin bread recipe using extra pumpkin and no oil. You can also substitute artificial sweetener for half of the sugar, and some whole wheat flour for nutrition, and they still taste great. They freeze very well; just microwave a frozen muffin for 20 to 30 seconds and it’s ready.

Step: 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C). Grease three 12 cup muffin pans, or line with paper muffin liners. Soak raisins in hot water for ten minutes to plump, then drain.

Step: 2

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ground cloves. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, pumpkin, and applesauce, until smooth. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and stir thoroughly to make a smooth batter. Stir the raisins and walnuts into the batter. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups.

Step: 3

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Per Serving: 207 calories; protein 3.6g; carbohydrates 42.1g; fat 3.3g; cholesterol 31mg; sodium 237mg.

The quality of the flour can make a real difference to your bread. Different brands do vary. Extra-strong or Canadian flours, which are bet higher in gluten, may give you a better rise than standard bread flours – especially if you’re making wholemeal bread , which doesn’t always rise as well as clear bread.

To make this in a breadmaker , add all the ingredients to your breadmaker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

A dough’s first rising can be done in the fridge 24 hours . This slows down the time it takes to rise to double its size, giving it a deeper flavour. It’s also a great limit , as you can start it night before , then finish it off the next day.