Health-Conscious Whole Wheat Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Ingredients

• ½ cup dried cranberries
• 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
• ½ cup turbinado (raw) sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
• 4 egg whites
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
• ½ cup honey
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Topping:

Step 1

Lightly heat your oven to 350°F and greasing a 12-cup muffin tin. While the oven warms up, pop the dried cranberries into a small bowl and cover them with hot water to soften for about 3 to 5 minutes.

Step 2

In a large bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves until everything is well combined. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites, then gently mix in the pumpkin puree, applesauce, honey, molasses, and vanilla extract.

Step 3

Make a little well in the dry ingredients and pour in the pumpkin mixture. Stir just until everything comes together – don’t overmix. Drain the cranberries and fold them into the batter.

Step 4

Scoop the batter into your muffin tin, filling each cup almost to the top. Sprinkle a few extra cranberries on each muffin along with a pinch of sugar and a dash of pumpkin spice to give them that extra cozy flavor.

Step 5

Bake for about 18 to 20 minutes, or until the tops feel set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!