Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

I love the smell of pumpkin pie, and this way I can get the smell of pumpkin pie filling the house but have a healthy snack instead of the pie. 

What you will need...

• 1 cup 1% milk
• 3/4 cup applesauce, no sugar added (I usually use 1 cup, but this was all I had on hand)
• 2 eggs
• 4 tbsps vegetable oil  (this is 1 tbsp more than usual to make up for the lack of applesauce)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 can pumpkin
• 2 tbsps maple syrup
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3 tsps baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsps pumpkin pie spice
• chocolate chunks (we like dark chocolate)

Preheat oven to 400* and line muffin pan with foil wrappers.  In a bowl, combine and mix well milk, applesauce, eggs, pumpkin, oil, syrup, and vanilla.  Add brown sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, and spice.  Mix until all blended.  Use an ice cream scooper to fill muffin cups.  Should make about 16 muffins.  Place chocolate chunks on top of each (I usually press them down just a bit so that the chunks are covered with a bit of the batter) and bake...YUM-OLA!!!

How many people can eat...makes about 16 muffins so it depends on how hungry the people are:)

Note...these taste great when you treat them like a pancake and topped the warm muffins with maple syrup!!!  They will keep great in the refrigerator for about a week, or you can freeze them.

© 2011 Neeley Buhr