Yes, it’s that time of year again. Actually it came early this year with the September arrival of the Pumpkin Spice Latte. It’s now time for all things pumpkin. I have not yet had a latte but that doesn’t mean that I can’t partake in the pumpkin festivities. I celebrated with something better than a latte. Pumpkin Spice Muffins.
The muffins that you get in bakeries and in stores are usually just underdressed cupcakes. Have you ever taken a look at the calories and fat in those things?! Seriously, just go ahead and get the burger or cupcake. You aren’t saving yourself anything. I decided to whip up a batch of lower calorie, yet still dense and moist pumpkin spice muffins.
I like this recipe since it only makes 6 muffins so you don’t have a bunch hanging around to tempt you. The pudding mix helps add moisture as well as a little bit of flavor and sweetness. You’ve seen cake mixes with pudding in the mix. Now you’ve got muffin mix with the same. You don’t have to use butterscotch. Vanilla works along with other fancy flavors. I just happened to have butterscotch already opened from another recipe.
Pumpkin Spice Muffins 
- 3/4 cup (94g) all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 Tbsp (9g) butterscotch pudding mix
- 1/4 cup (61g) canned pumpkin
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp baking stevia
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line a 6 hole muffin tin with paper liners or use silicone liners sprayed with non-stick spray. Measure the flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and dry pudding mix into a bowl. Add the wet ingredients and mix to combine. Divide evenly into the 6 muffin holes. (Side note: Do these things have a name?! Muffin openings, holes, cups?)
Mix the baking stevia and remaining 1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice in a small container. Sprinkle over the tops of the unbaked muffins. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool slightly before enjoying.
Makes 6 muffins at approximately 79 calories each – 3g protein, 14g carbs, and 1g fat.
Notes
- I actually intended to use sugar on the muffin tops so that there was a nice crunch to them. As I measured out the “sugar”, I realized from the fluffy texture that it was actually powdered baking stevia. So since I was already in progress, I just went with it. You can use sugar if you prefer.
- Because these muffins are low fat, they have a tendency to stick to the paper liners. You can avoid this by either letting them cool all the way before peeling them out, or using the silicone liners and spraying them with non-stick spray. Patience is a virtue with low fat muffins.
It took me a couple tries to get this recipe right, but it was still worth it to eat all the test batches along the way. I put a few in the freezer to use later crumbled over yogurt like a pumpkin spice granola-like topping. Be prepared for several months of pumpkin things lighting up your social media feeds, emails, shopping adventures and more. It’s time! 😉
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