Alright friends, let’s do some fall baking!
We all know I love to bake, but fall baking has a special place in my heart. For as long as I can remember, every thanksgiving I’ve been going up north to visit family. Each year while I’m visiting, my cousin and I spend an afternoon baking some sort of pumpkin treat while catching up with each other and singing along to our favourite tunes (shoutout to Taylor Swift!). It became our little tradition. Baking these muffins makes me think of how much I love that tradition. And how much I love muffins.
These muffins are like pumpkin spice meets carrot cake. But with a healthy twist.
What makes these muffins so healthy?
- They’re made with whole wheat flour – which means extra good-for-you fibre and protein.
- Sweetened only with maple syrup – no refined sugar to be seen (except if you pour glaze on top of them like me…..)
- Just one muffin contains 64% of your daily recommended vitamin A.
But what about the taste?
They are super moist, not overly sweet, and full of flavour.
Tip: If you’re going for less of a healthy breakfast muffin, and more of a decadent dessert, a simple icing sugar and non-dairy milk glaze does the trick! Obviously this cancels out the “naturally sweetened” thing…but sometimes a girl just needs some icing! A vegan cream cheese icing would also be amazing with these if you’re craving that classic carrot cake taste.
Try these muffins for breakfast on-the-go, as a light but satisfying snack, or as a healthier alternative for dessert!
What’s your favourite treat to bake in the fall? Let me know in the comments!
HEALTHY PUMPKIN CARROT MUFFINS
These muffins are like pumpkin spice meets carrot cake. But with a healthy twist. Vegan, whole wheat and naturally sweetened. Great for breakfast on-the-go, as a light but satisfying snack, or as a healthier alternative for dessert. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp flax meal
- 5 Tbsp water
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 cup finely shredded carrots (~ 2-3 large carrots)
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup oil (any neutral oil like sunflower, canola, olive or avocado)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour*
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
Method
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Preheat oven to 350F and grease or line muffin tin.
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In a small bowl, combine the flax meal and water to create a flax egg. Set aside while you prepare the wet ingredients so it has time to gel.
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In a large mixing bowl, add pumpkin puree, shredded carrots, maple syrup, oil and vanilla, and stir to combine. Add in the flax egg, and stir well.
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In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the whole wheat pastry flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger and nutmeg.
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Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Try not to over-mix. The batter should be thick.
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Spoon the batter into the greased or lined muffin tin and use the back of a spoon to help even them out if necessary. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool in the tin on a cooling rack. Enjoy!
Notes
- I use this whole wheat pastry flour. It rocks! You could also substitute 1 cup white flour + 1 cup regular whole wheat flour in place of the whole wheat pastry flour.
- Nutritional information is approximate.
Did you enjoy this recipe? Leave a comment, share it with your friends, and don’t forget to snap a picture for Instagram and tag #plantifuleating so I can see your creations!
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I love your healthy approach to all the delicious things autumn has to offer! I should definitely try those out, I am sure my family would enjoy them as well! Thank you for being so creative with baking 🙂
Thanks so much Gena! I hope they’re a hit with your whole family!
This looks absolutely delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Sally
http://www.mypracticalblog.com
Thanks Sally!
Oh these look amazing and so perfect for fall!!
Thanks Leigh!
New favourite fall recipe!
Yay! Thanks Ella 🙂
These look amazing. Now I know what to make with my leftover pumpkin. I will need to use gluten free flour, but I can’t wait to try them
Thanks so much! Let me know how they turn out with gluten-free flour. Enjoy!!
I just made these muffins and they’re DELICIOUS!!! They were so fast and easy to make and they turned out super sweet and moist even without the glaze. I substituted the flax egg for a real egg and used white pastry flour and it worked perfectly 🙂
Yay! So happy to hear they turned out so well even with the substitutions. Thanks so much Blair!! xo
Thanks so much for the recipe. I made these last night and had one this morning for breakfast. They are so moist! Even my almost 5 year old granddaughter, who’s a picky eater, gave it a thumbs up and said she loved them.
The only thing I did differently was that I baked the muffins at 400 degrees for 16 minutes so that the muffins would dome up on top.
Definitely going to keep this recipe and make it again.
So happy that you and your granddaughter loved these muffins!! I’ll have to try baking them at 400 for 16 minutes next time I make these, thanks!
Will it work with regular flour instead of whole wheat?
Yes, should work just fine!
Can the flour be substituted for almond? If so how much?
I’ve never tried it, but if you give it a go, let us know how it turns out!