Spicy Pumpkin Muffins
These muffins are extremely moist and packed with vitamin A, potassium, calcium, and fiber.
INGREDIENTS | YIELDS 12 muffins
- 2½ cups white whole-wheat flour
- 2¼ teaspoons baking powder, divided
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¾ cup applesauce
- ¼ cup canola oil
- ¼ cup blackstrap molasses
- ½ cup agave nectar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups cooked pumpkin (or 15-ounce can)
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, 1½ teaspoons baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
In a large bowl, combine applesauce with ¾ teaspoon baking powder.
Add oil, molasses, agave nectar, vanilla, and pumpkin to applesauce mixture. Stir to combine.
Slowly add dry ingredients to wet.
Spoon into oiled muffin pan.
Bake 25–30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Blackstrap Molasses
Blackstrap molasses is a byproduct of the process that converts sugar cane into table sugar. It is the byproduct of the third boiling. Molasses from other stages of the sugar-production process are available as well — however, they don't have the same nutritional makeup as blackstrap molasses. Blackstrap molasses is a good source of calcium, copper, potassium, and manganese. It is also a rich sweetener that adds depth to baked beans, barbecue sauce, and gingerbread.
