Thursday, October 4, 2012

Pumpkin Muffins

Fall is here!  (Well, kind of - it is still in the 100's in my neck of the woods).
How do I know Fall is here?  Because Starbucks has their Pumpkin Bread again.

Which is a couple of dollars per slice.
The mix I use for my knock-off version is around $3.00 per box and makes approximately 12 servings.

My son LOVES the Starbucks Pumpkin Bread.  I don't love the price.  Or the fat.  A few years back, I had to cut fat from my diet (Settle down.  I am talking about saturated fat; not the "good" types of fat).  Around that time, I came up with a ton of alternatives for myself by searching the web and playing with recipes.  This is one of them.

It is super simple.

The best part is it only requires 4 ingredients.

  1. (1) Package of Trader Joe's Pumpkin Bread & Muffin Mix
  2. 1/2 cup of Egg Beaters
  3. 1/2 cup of Apple Sauce (I used unsweetened, but I bet Apple Cinnamon flavor would be great)
  4. (1) cup of Water
Seriously.  This is all you will need to make a knock-off, lower-fat version of Starbucks Pumpkin Bread.
 
 Let's get started:
Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.


Prep your pan.

I purchased this pan a few years ago from Williams-Sonoma.

I went to find the pan I have on their website and they now have a loaf pan I really want to get, too.


By the way, when I first started making this Pumpkin Bread/Muffin recipe, I originally used the Williams-Sonoma Spiced Pecan Pumpkin Quick Bread Mix (shown above), but at around $12.00 per bag of mix, there is no way I could justify making it that often.  Also, the Trader Joe's version tastes almost as good.

 Now for the fun stuff....
Add 1/2 cup of Egg Beaters to your mixing Bowl.


Next, add 1/2 cup of Apple Sauce.


 Then, add (1) cup of water and Pumpkin Bread Mix.


Attach the bowl to your mixer.


I used my Kitchen Aid Mixer with the Flat Beater attachment.

Mix until blended well.


 Scoop into muffin or loaf pan.
(I used a 1/3 cup measuring cup to ensure the muffins would be uniform in size).


Place in oven.


 I baked mine for approximately 22 minutes.
Then, let cool for about 15 minutes.


Voila!


Another view.


Perfect Pumpkin Muffins.


These are great for class parties, after school snacks or as a special lunch box treat.
 Disclaimer:  My 8 year-old son ate 5 of these before I could put them up.
Good thing I have another box.  :)

4 comments:

  1. Gonna try this soon! Looks yummy :)

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  2. I'll have to try that. they look good and a nice quick snack for the kids on their way to school when we're running late. thanks for the recipe!

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  3. Yum! thanks for the recipe, the kids will love these :)

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