Almost Healthy Pumpkin Muffins

I have an eye twitch. Have you ever had one you can't get rid of? I've never had one that bugged me everyday for a week. I even looked up a couple tips for getting rid of them. One suggestion was to blink a bunch of times for 30 seconds. I'm so glad no one was around, I looked ridiculous for 30 seconds. Then another suggestion was to drink less caffeine...yeah right. I moved on quickly after that lame option. I'm trying to drink lots of water and I did my PiYo (pilates and yoga) workout so maybe those will help. We'll see. If you have any suggestions, let me know!

Anyway...I know, intriguing introduction. These muffins came first from a favorite blog of mine, Cookie and Kate. I've edited them a bit and I like them both ways. Kate uses maple syrup to sweeten the recipe but I was inspired to try molasses. You can take your pick or try both versions!

1 John 2:1-2 "...I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father - Jesus Christ the Righteous One. He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world."

I remember memorizing these verses back in 7th or 8th grade. Sadly, I can't recite them anymore but they are still very familiar. I learned a new word when reading them years ago. Here's the definition for that word; propitiation - "Propitiation means the turning away of wrath by an offering. In relation to soteriology, propitiation means placating or satisfying the wrath of God by the atoning sacrifice of Christ." - Ryrie

This is why Christ came to earth, it's "what Christmas is all about" to quote Linus. Christ came to be our Savior from God's just wrath. Sin must be punished, even the things we deem as little sins. Christ was willing to take that punishment for the whole world so we would be seen as innocent before God. It's amazing that Jesus did this for all of us but many reject Him. We do have to believe Him and accept that we can't earn God's favor. But we can live in gratitude, loving Him for providing the propitiation for our wrongdoing. We can love Him because He loves us. 

 I guess I'm stuck on molasses lately. It fits this time of year so well why not use the rich, spiced syrup. I'm trying to help you out with the almost healthy part. I know we all have more sweets around the house now than any other time so you shouldn't feel too bad eating these guys. That's part of why the cinnamon chips are optional. 1) there's less sugar without them and 2) they can be hard to find at some grocery stores. 

I found mine at Hy-Vee.  

Almost Healthy Pumpkin Muffins

-makes 10 muffins-

1/3 cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup molasses 

1/4 cup honey

2 eggs, at room temperature

1 cup pumpkin purée 

1/4 cup milk of choice  

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp allspice or cloves

1¾ cups all purpose or whole wheat flour

1/3 cup old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup cinnamon chips (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 325° F. I played it safe and greased my muffin tin to ensure they would come out easily.

2. In a large bowl, beat the oil, molasses, and honey together with a whisk. Add eggs, and beat well. Mix in the pumpkin purée and milk, followed by the baking soda, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice or cloves.

3. Add the flour and oats to the bowl and stir until just until combined. If you choose to add the cinnamon chips, stir in now.

4. Divide the batter evenly between the ten muffin cups. For these muffins, it’s ok to fill the cups a little higher than you normally would.
5. Bake muffins for 22 to 24 minutes or do the clean toothpick test. It's best to let them cool before removing from the tin as they are very soft. You might need to run a butter knife along the outer edge of the muffins to loosen them from the pan. Enjoy them as they are or add a little butter if you'd like.

Molasses Snickerdoodle Cookies!

Hello blog and blog readers! I've come back for a visit. The semester is winding down with students taking finals this week and having, oh maybe 10% of their minds on school. Who am I kidding, their teachers are the same way;) Well, we really aren't that bad. I'll be teaching 5th and 6th grade bands and extra/make-up lessons this week. We'll have fun as usual!

I am looking forward to Christmas break! My apartment is decorated and I've been baking a few Christmas treats, one of which I'm sharing today and they are wonderful! The molasses flavor is strong (in a good way) so if you want a more kid-friendly version you can use a light molasses (I used dark, unsulphured). 

Hebrews 1:3 "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact expression of His nature, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high".  

I was able to attend a Christmas service Saturday evening in Ames with my best friend, Tonya. Her friend attends Cornerstone Church, as do many of our friends we discovered, and she invited us to come. It was very well done with the music, video, and speaking. Mark Vance spoke on the passage above and I was ashamed to realize that I had not been thinking about Christ this Christmas. I've made it about me, family, decorations, and traditions. I love all these things and he did not condemn them in his message but he made a point. Christmas is a celebration of Jesus' coming to Earth to glorify God and endure the punishment of sin for us.

Christmas is about bringing glory and praise to God for sending Jesus to save us. I know this is obvious to most of us but I really needed the opportunity to re-focus. I don't need to do a lot of talking here because God's word can speak for itself. Re-read the verse above and remember what Jesus' life on Earth was about. 

 

 

So far, these beauties have 4 positive reviews! My fellow music teachers, Tonya, and myself speak highly of them and the other teachers asked if the recipe would make it on the blog. So, I figured that means they're pretty good. 

I love molasses cookies or gingersnaps as long as they aren't hard. A crispy edge is fine as long as the center is soft. These are wonderfully soft and chewy! I can't take all the credit though as I used this recipe from Averie Cooks! My only modification was leaving out the ginger simply because I didn't have any.

 

 I don't have a fancy cookie scoop so these are my sad little dough mounds. They all look about the same when baked anyway. Except that mine didn't keep the rounded top like Averie's do in her pictures...I'm not a master baker so I'm not sure why that is. Regardless, they taste wonderful and will make a fabulous holiday cookie for your family gatherings or for your "alone-at-home-watching-too-much-TV-eating-endless-cookies time". 

Molasses Snickerdoodle Cookies

-makes 24 cookies-

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed (light brown sugar may be substituted)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1/3 cup unsulphered molasses (I used dark; light or medium may be used; blackstrap will likely be too strong)

1 Tbs vanilla extract

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger (I did not use)

1 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

pinch salt, optional and to taste

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp cornstarch

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Cinnamon-Sugar Coating

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 to 3 tsp cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cookies - In mixer, combine the butter, sugars, egg, and beat on medium-high speed until creamed and well combined, about 4 minutes.
2. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the molasses, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, optional salt, and beat on medium-high speed until combined and smooth, about 1 minute.
3. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, cream of tartar, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 45 seconds.
4. Scoop medium sized mounds (1 1/2 Tablespoon size) onto a tray or plate. Cover with plasticwrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, up to 5 days. The dough is soft, mushy, and isn't going to bake well until it's been chilled.
5. Preheat oven to 350F, line baking sheets with fancy Silpat liners I wish I had, or spray with cooking spray like I did.
6. Cinnamon-Sugar Coating - Add sugar and cinnamon to a small bowl and stir to combine.
7. Roll each mound of dough through the cinnamon and sugar mix.
8. Place coated mounds on baking sheets, spaced an inch and a half apart (I baked 12 cookies per sheet). Bake for about 8 to 9 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are have crackled. Don't overbake unless you want crispier cookies. Cookies will firm up as they cool. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before serving. I let them cool on the baking sheet and don't use a rack.
9. Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months. You can also keep unbaked cookie dough stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months.