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.