Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Muffin Top-The GOOD Kind

We love to cook in our house. We rarely go out to eat because frankly, we prefer what we prepare at home better than what is served in most local restaurants. Plus we can control what goes into our food. 

I have found a fun hobby in tweaking the recipes of my favorite foods to create healthier versions-making it with less bad fats or less sugars by adding in nuts, flax or fruits.

This time of year I am searching for all kinds of seasonal flavors and pumpkin keeps coming up at a favorite!

Lola loves to bake~stirring and eating are her favorite parts of the process

I came across this recipe on Figure23 several weeks ago and I have made these three times. I made a few tweaks to the original recipe and I am just in love with these. They are the perfect amount of sweet to satisfy but not "bad" enough to blow a great day of eating clean. Smear with a dollop of almond or peanut butter and you will add some good fat and protein to this treat.

Pumpkin & Apple Muffin Tops

Ingredients:


2 1/2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour
2 tablespoons of flax meal
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
pinch of sea salt
1 tablespoon of Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 teaspoon of cinnamon


1 cup of pumpkin (not pie filling, canned pumpkin puree)
1/2 cup raw sugar or brown sugar
1 large egg
3 egg whites*
*use real egg whites, not carton egg whites it changes the consistency
1 large apple, diced


yummy extras:
sprinkle brown sugar and unsweetened flaked coconut on top
or
mix in walnuts, pecans or almonds
or
dried cranberries or raisins

preheat oven to 420

Mix your dry ingredients then mix your wet ingredients. Combine wet and dry. Then add in the chopped apple (add your nuts and/or dried fruit if using). Mix well but do not over mix. Using an ice cream scoop, place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment. I find that using stoneware (*like Pampered Chef) is best for this muffin top.
DO line the pan with parchment if using a metal pan otherwise they will stick.
Top with brown sugar and coconut if using. 
Bake for 12-15 minutes. DO NOT over bake as they will be dry :( no one likes dry muffin tops.

Enjoy (guilt free)





Pumpkin & Apple Muffin Tops with coconut & brown sugar topping.


11 comments:

Emz said...

YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

I bought a muffin top pan.

The
best
purchase
ever!

Thanks for this post!!

CautiouslyAudacious said...

I couldn't agree more with you! I always prefer eating in over eating out! I'll have to try this one out..

Teamarcia said...

I'll have to try these--yummy! Love that pic of Lola!

Andrew Opala said...

yummy!

Jess @ Blonde Ponytail said...

Yum! Minus the coconut for me and I am in!! I use applesauce for a sub too!

Melissa Cunningham said...

yyyuuuuuummmmmm-oooooooo!
gonna try these!
lola is so adorable!
my kids have always loved to bake with me as well!
my son still enjoys it at age 7 and tells me he wants to be a chef!

happy wednesday to you and yours!

KovasP said...

Yum, muffin tops are the best (well, except for brownies)! Except for the coconut, these sound really good.

Aimee said...

Yum! Those look really good! Have you checked out my Humpastry day recipes? They're all about replacing the not so healthy ingredients with healthier ones too! :)

Tricia said...

YUM!

Pahla said...

Nommity nom! Thanks for the recipe, these look great! I'm with Lola - stirring and eating are my favorite parts, too. :-)

Unknown said...

to the non-coconut readers, you can skip it. It's great with just brown sugar on top or even slivered almonds :D

Emz-muffin top PAN?? *must google this*

Aimee-yes, I have but only briefly. Will have to do more research there :D

The Mighty Kovas-muffin top brownies are in the works!