For my first submission to the Whip It Up challenge, I decided to go with Pumpkin Bran Muffins. Here’s why, in no particular order: 1) I knew I wanted to make something healthy, because that’s just how I roll; 2) I had a few cans of pureed pumpkin in the cabinet; 3) I already had most of the ingredients I needed without making a huge shopping trip; and 4) a few people have suggested — when I mentioned that I don’t mind cooking, but I don’t like having a ton of leftovers to deal with — that I freeze the extras so I can eat them over a longer period of time.
The last time I baked (Chocolate Mint Cupcakes for my birthday last month), I took the extras to work to share with my fellow employees. I didn’t think pumpkin-bran muffins would be quite as popular as mint-chocolate cupcakes, so I decided to make these with just myself in mind.
I found multiple recipes online for different types of pumpkin muffins, but I used this one from RecipeZaar as my general guide because it’s vegan (no dairy ingredients). I’m not a vegan myself, but I have experimented with it in the past and my current roommate is a vegan, so I figured I’d make something that both of us could try. (Really the only difference I can see between this recipe and the others is that this one called for an egg-replacement substitute.)
I ended up adapting the recipe a fair amount — I added more spices than the original called for, and I used applesauce in place of both the oil and molasses — so I’m including the version of the recipe I used at the bottom of this post. (Not using oil = less calories. While I’m sure the molasses would have been good, I didn’t have any in the house and I didn’t want a jar sitting around that I probably wouldn’t use again.) I estimated that each muffin contains about 150 calories.
I ate one last night after they cooled off. They’re not very sweet, so if you’re looking for something more dessert-like you’d probably want to add more sugar. I’m okay with food not being overly sweet, though, so I liked it. The texture was kind of chewy instead of cake-y, which I’m sure was due to using applesauce in place of the oil. Again, I’m okay with that, but sometimes my food preferences are different from those of other people. (My roommate tried one after she got home and expressed her approval. So, yay!) I’ll keep a few of these out to eat over the next few days, and the rest will go into the freezer for later. This recipe was very simple to put together, and I can see myself making them again.
Here’s the start of the muffin-making preparations:
And the various ingredients:
And the finished product:
Pumpkin Bran Muffins (Vegan)
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup vegan sugar (I used granulated sugar)
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon Ener-G Egg Substitute (or 2 egg whites or 1 whole egg)
1 cup bran cereal (I used All Bran)
1 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup soymilk (or nonfat milk)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Spray cups of a 12-hole muffin tin with non-stick spray (I used paper muffin liners instead).
Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
Mix wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
Blend two bowls together, mixing until ingredients are just moistened.
Spoon batter, evenly divided, into muffin cups.
Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Cool slightly in pan before transferring to wire rack to finish cooling.
Makes 12 muffins
22 Comments
Lovely! That’s a nice (and pre-portioned!) breakfast or snack right there.
They look delicious! And my goodness, that is a LOT of ingredients!
Nicole: It’s not that bad! Most of it is just normal staples, like flour, sugar, spices, baking powder, salt, etc. I had all of that stuff already in the cabinet.
They look yummy…I too like to use applesauce as a replacement, but then again I like it more moist than not so…
Good luck with your challenge!
~K
Save me a muffin!
hmm. well-intentioned heartbreaker no longer fits in the “name” section? haha. w-i it is.
but what i wanted to say was how GREAT those look! congrats =)
ooo… I’m going to do it (Whip It Up Challenge), too! If I pick a recipe today, I can whip it up tomorrow night for week 1, hooray!
I love pumpkin ANYTHING–I’ll definitely be giving these a try!
Wow, those are beautiful! They’re a lovely muffin (ok, I know, as with a person it’s what’s inside that counts, but sometimes a lovely bit of packaging should be complimented, as wel1
). I think the not-overly-sweet aspect sounds great, too!!
I’m having zucchini bread right now, that a friend made me, so I am not too jealous of your home-baked goodies!!
ps—-hmmmm…you said the recipe makes a dozen, but I see only ELEVEN here!!
They look great! And I find that when I adapt recipes, my taste preferences are pretty different from other peoples too… although, molasses has some good nutrients in it so adding that would probably enhance some flavor if you were looking for a bit more.
They look good! I like pumpkin flavored things.
Another Chris: What a good eagle eye you have! That’s because I’d ALREADY EATEN ONE by the time I took this photo!!!
I’ll have to try these Zan! Looks good
Those look good if I liked pumpkin. I baked blueberry scones (I found fresh blueberries at a produce stand) and they were good. I am getting decent at cooking and baking!
I can’t wait to try these!!
I will have to give it a try!
YUM!
I’m going to have to try these!
my mom made bran muffins all the time when I was a kid and I loved them. this has totally inspired me to make some now. and i looooooove pumpkin!
They look damn good! But what is Vegan Sugar????? As a microwave ninja, I’m baffled.
OH MY. I will be making these this weekend. I’m copying the recipe now! I love pumpkin and bran (YES, I LOVE BRAN). Thanks for the recipe. I’ll be going the applesauce route as well, I’m trying to cut back on the oil thing.