Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins

Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins

Why is it that we feel the need to only eat pumpkin in the fall. It's sooo good plus its healthy. I had a few cans in my cupboard and really wanted to use them especially since pumpkin doesn't last very long. So if you are like me and bought a few extra cans this fall this is a great recipe to help jump start your healthy goals this new year. I discovered that the shelf life of pumpkin is only about 6 months and I certainly am not going to waste it. My intentions was to make something for my husband so he could have a quick but healthy breakfast on the go or for him to bring as a snack. So I turned to my good old friend Pinterest to see what I could find. I came across many delicious looking recipes but many of them had ingredients in them that I just wasn't going to buy. I'm one of those people who wants something fairly healthy but I'm not a crazy healthy nut. I'm not going to buy ingredients that I may never use again like almond milk or coconut oil, especially since I don't like coconut at all. I came across this recipe and thought it had some great things about it but the few things that I didn't want to use I could easily replace with items I already have on hand. So with the help of my little one I got to baking. These were so quick and easy to throw together and are also pretty cheap. 

I bet most of you already have these ingredients in your fridge and pantry. I had just about everything besides the dark chocolate chips and I didn't have enough oats. I used my kitchen aid stand mixer and combined the pumpkin, egg, sugar, milk, honey, oil, vanilla, salt and spices. (The original recipe used just pumpkin spice but as I was making it I decided to use both pumpkin spice and cinnamon and nutmeg). I also used honey instead of maple syrup. I thought it would be healthier since it was less sugar added. I added a little bit of maple flavoring just to make up for it. 

After everything is combined add your oats and baking soda. Then add your chocolate chips. In the recipe I found they used mini semi sweet chocolate chips. I decided to use dark chocolate chips because they are better for you so why not right? I also doubled the recipe so I could freeze some. 

My little one loves to help although it was hard to keep those little fingers out of the bowl. He ended up with oil on his pants and a chocolaty face but hey he was happy so I was ok with it. 

I sprayed my pans with baking spray which has flour in it. I basically filled the cups up all the way since they aren't going to rise much. I was a little worried because the batter was very wet and lose since there isn't any flour but I had faith they would turn out. A single batch makes 11 muffins so I made 22 with my double batch. Whenever I have extra muffins spots that aren't filled I always put a little water in them. I think it helps bake things more evenly plus a little extra humidity in the oven never hurts when you are making things like muffins. 

Bake them at 350 degrees for 23 minutes or until they are golden brown and a tooth pick comes out clean. They should feel fairly firm to the touch. 

See how they didn't really rise so its important not to skimp when you are filling your tins. Let them cool for at least 15 or so minutes before taking them out or else they will just fall apart. Then cool them completely before storing them. For not having any flour or much sugar in them I thought these were really good. My son also really likes them which was just one more bonus since what mom doesn't struggle to come up with food ideas for their one year old. I hope my husband will also like them because I will definitely be using the rest of my pumpkin puree to make more. 

Dark Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins

Ingredients:

1 large egg

1/2 cup pumpkin puree 

1/2 cup 1% milk (or your favorite milk like almond milk)

1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup honey (or maple syrup)

1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil (you could probably use coconut oil)

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp maple flavoring (if using honey instead of maple syrup, optional)

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

pinch of salt (optional)

3 cups old fashioned oatmeal (don't use quick cook or instant)

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees. Spray a non stick regular muffin tin with floured baking spray or grease and flour. (Paper liners would probably stick and tare the muffins apart)

In a large bowl add the first 10 ingredients (with the option of salt and maple flavoring) and whisk to combine (or use a stand mixer). Add the oats and baking powder and combine. Then add the chocolate chips and stir to combine. The dough will be lose and wet. 

Use a large cookie scoop or 1/4 cup measure to fill the muffin tins (use only 11 spots, don't skimp). They should be nearly full since the batter will not rise much.

Bake for 23 minutes. They should be golden and slightly firm to the touch. A tooth pick insterted in the middle should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cool for 10-20 minutes before removing from pan. They will fall apart if removed to soon. Cool completely before storing . They will keep for 5 days at room temperature in an air tight container or up to 6  months in the freezer. 

* I made a double batch. I used 2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice, 1 tsp of cinnamon and 1 tsp of nutmeg 

Try Adding/Substituting:

Nuts

Soy Milk

Coconut Milk

Flax seeds

Dried fruit

Sugar free maple syrup

Sugar substitutes