These healthy Pumpkin Apple Mini Muffins are perfect for snacking or giving as a DIY gift.
It’s the 21st of the month which means it’s Recipe Redux day!
I realize that maybe you have no idea what that means. Let me explain.
The Recipe Redux is a large group of food bloggers who are monthly challenged to create a healthy recipe based on a common theme. We all publish on the same day of the month (the 21st) and link our recipes together. It’s a lot of fun and gives you, the readers, so many awesome ideas.
Some of my previous Redux recipes are: Whole Wheat Banana Nut Bread, Vegetarian Rice & Bean Casserole, & Grilled Fruit & Vegetable Kabobs
This month our theme is to share a new quick bread recipe that could be give-able at the holidays. Well, this just so happens to be my forte. Perhaps you’ve noticed that I love muffins…
{Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Muffins, Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins, Chocolate Strawberry Breakfast Muffins}
…just sayin’, I love muffins.
I happen to have a muffin recipe in my cue that I just haven’t posted yet. So today is the day to share with you my Pumpkin Apple Mini Muffins.
I’ve loved the idea of snacking on muffins ever since I drooled over those packs of mini snack muffins my friends had in their lunches back in elementary school. Remember those? Unfortunately those are loaded with lots of sugar and too much fat, and thus why they never made it into my lunch (thanks mom).
These whole grain, fiber rich mini muffins, however, are actually a good snack option. Plus, they taste super yummy!
- 4 tablespoons butter, softened
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour or gluten free 1:1 baking replacement flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg,
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ cup ground flax seed
- 1 cup finely diced sweet apple, about 1 medium size apple
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a mini muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray or line with mini muffin papers.
- In a mixer on medium speed, cream together butter and pumpkin, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add brown sugar and continue to beat in for about 3 minutes. Then add honey and mix until well combined.
- Stop mixer and add in egg and vanilla. Mix on low speed until well combined.
- Stop mixer and add in flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. (You may need to add flour in 2 batches depending on the size of your mixing bowl.) Mix in on low speed until incorporated, then add ground flax seed and increase speed slightly and mix well for one minute or less.
- Toss in diced apple and fold into batter using a spatula.
- Spoon into muffin pan, about 1 tablespoon of batter per opening. (Fill about 75% full.)
- Bake for 10 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Let cool in pan for 2 minutes, then remove and cool on a wire rack.
If you are looking for a fun, homemade holiday treat to share, this is it! I’d package these in a pretty holiday boxes and give them to my coworkers or son’s teacher. My other go-to DIY food gift are these White Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Rods.
I hope you will give these fun Pumpkin Apple Mini Muffins a try. I’d also love to know what DIY holiday gifts you want to/are making this year. We could all use some fun ideas.
For the love of muffins,
Jenna
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