Fall means pumpkin everything, but I make these simple and delicious pumpkin muffins year round. I love making a batch of these on a Sunday or Monday, so I can enjoy them with my coffee or with Smoothies throughout the week.

Ingredients:
– 2 1/2 cups Flour
– 2 tsp Baking Powder
– 1 tsp ground Ginger
– 1 tsp ground Cinnamon
– 1/4 tsp ground fresh Nutmeg
– 1/8 tsp Cloves
– 1 tsp salt
– 3/4 cup Canola Oil (or other neutral heart-healthy oil)
– 1 1/2 cups Brown Sugar
– 3 Tbsp Molasses
– 1 can (15oz) Pumpkin Puree
– 3 Large Eggs

How I Make It:
– Preheat Oven to 375 degrees
– In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, spices, and salt. Set aside.
– In a separate bowl, whisk together sugar, molasses, oil, eggs, and pumpkin.
– Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir together until combined.
– Fill muffin tins with wrappers and fill each 1/2 to 2/3 of the way full.
– Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted in the middle and comes out clean.

Optional Ingredients:
– Shelled Pumpkin Seeds sprinkled on top before baking.
– 1 oz dark or spiced rum stirred into batter with wet ingredients.
– Cinnamon chips stirred into batter prior to baking (I use 1/2 of a bag or approximately 5 oz).
– Substitute some or all of the all purpose flour for whole wheat flour to make them healthier. I usually substitute 1/2 to 1 cup of the flour with whole wheat flour without anyone noticing the difference.

These have become one of our favorite grab and go breakfasts at my house. They also provide a more nutritious option for dessert when you have a sweet craving after dinner or need a quick energy boost snack during the day that won’t set you up to dive into a pre-made package of something unhealthy. Everyone that I make these for tells me that these are their favorite pumpkin muffins. I hope that they will become your favorites, too!

Happy Eating!