Two weeks ago, I traveled to Chicago for the annual BlogHer Food Conference (yes, there are conferences for food bloggers, too!), and although the event began on Friday morning, I scheduled my flight to arrive on Wednesday evening to give me a day to adjust to the time change and explore the city.
While we boarded the plane, the flight attendants announced that it would be a full aircraft without any extra seats. I snagged one on the aisle near the front—I now love those more than window seats because I can get up and stretch my legs as often as I’d like without climbing over strangers!—and watched the other passengers hauling their carry-ons down the narrow aisle.
Eventually, people stopped coming on board, but somehow, an empty middle seat still remained in between the businessman rapidly typing emails on his iPhone next to the window and me. I silently celebrated (hooray for extra room!) while the stewardesses explained over the loudspeaker that a few of the seats were malfunctioning and would remain empty, so we just had to wait an extra half hour while the safety crew filed the paperwork before we departed.
By the time we landed in Chicago and waited on the runway for over 20 minutes because of airplane congestion at the gates, many other passengers grew restless and agitated over potentially missing their connecting flights. Thankful that I booked a shuttle to my hotel that ran every 15 minutes, I only had one tiny thing to worry about…
Food! Most restaurants closed by 11 pm on a weeknight, and that was when I finally checked in at the concierge desk. After dropping my bags in my room and checking the hours of a few places on the same block, I dashed out for dinner.
I found a healthy salad, packed full of fresh vegetables and grilled chicken, and I stopped by the marketplace in the hotel’s lobby for a cold bottle of water. I also grabbed a banana and single-serving bag of Popchips (have you tried them?? I’m completely addicted and plowed through a family-sized bag once I returned home after the conference!).
While browsing through the other snack options, I noticed the bakery case still contained a few treats, including coarse sugar-coated scones, big cranberry bagels, and tall pumpkin muffins. My wallet balked at the price tags, so when I got back to my kitchen at home, I baked these instead…
Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins! Full of cozy spices and fresh fruit, they’re as tender as cupcakes and perfect for quick on-the-go breakfasts and snacks. Plus these muffins are a lot healthier than the ones in that display case—they’re clean eating friendly and contain NO butter, refined flour or sugar!
Bliss.
These easy muffins start with regular, plain ol’ whole wheat flour. Some people think that 100% whole wheat flour baked goods turn out bland or dry, but these are the exact opposite, thanks to the pumpkin! Like I said, they’re as tender and moist as cupcakes… And cupcakes for breakfast is something I can definitely get behind!
Because this recipe requires only 1 tablespoon of oil and 2 egg whites, the rest of the tender texture comes from two of my favorite ingredients in healthier baking: pumpkin purée and Greek yogurt. Remember to buy plain pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling! The latter contains refined sugar, which we’re avoiding in this clean eating recipe. And of course, you can’t have pumpkin without spices—the ultimate trio of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
As for the Greek yogurt, you know how much I adore that ingredient! I’ve used it in muffins, pancakes, cupcakes, cheesecake, cakes, and even frosting. Here, it adds the same moisture as extra butter or oil for a fraction of the calories, and it gives the muffins a little protein boost, too!
’Tis the season for fresh cranberries, so that’s what you’ll use today! You can either chop them by hand or, for a quicker method, pop the berries into a food processor and pulse a few times. As a perfectionist, I generally prefer slicing the cranberries by hand to ensure the pieces are a similar size, but the food processor is so much faster on busy lazy mornings!
And while the muffins bake, the cranberries’ insides turn from white into that gorgeous, deep crimson shade…
So perfect for the holiday season!
| Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins | | Print |
- 2 cups (240g) whole wheat or gluten-free* flour (measured correctly)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (14g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (244g) pumpkin purée, room temperature
- ¼ cup (60g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ⅓ cup (80mL) pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup (60mL) nonfat milk
- 1 cup (110g) fresh cranberries, chopped
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat 12 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, egg whites, and vanilla. Stir in the pumpkin purée and Greek yogurt, mixing until no large lumps remain. Stir in the maple syrup. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.) Fold in all but 2 tablespoons of the chopped cranberries.
- Divide the batter into the prepared muffin cups, and gently press the remaining chopped cranberries into the top of the batter. Bake at 350°F for 21-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before carefully transferring onto a wire rack.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup. Alternatively, the same amount of brown sugar plus an additional 3 tablespoons of milk may be substituted for the pure maple syrup, but the muffins would no longer be clean eating friendly.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
I made these using low bush cranberries (lingonberries, actually) that grow all over our property. They are very small berries, so I did not chop them. The only alteration to the recipe was that I used goat milk, because that’s what’s in my refrigerator. The texture was fabulous, the berries were super tart (maybe a bit too much tart – might use less berries next time), and I really appreciated a muffin that was not so sugary that I felt I’d just had dessert instead of breakfast. The recipe made 12 good-sized muffins. Definitely a keeper recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed these muffins Denise! I’m truly honored that you’d call this recipe a keeper — what a huge compliment! Thank you! 🙂
I have a truckload of Craisins – would you add in less or more in lieu of fresh cranberries? Thanks!
Less! Start with ½ cup, and hydrate them first by adding them to a microwave-safe bowl, covering them with water, and adding a lid or plastic wrap on top. Microwave them on high for 1 minute, then let them stand while you mix together the rest of the ingredients. When you’re ready to add the cranberries, drain any excess liquid, and add your hydrated craisins to the batter! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these muffins Sydna!
Hi Amy,
I just bought some fresh cranberries from market and I am looking forward to make these muffins. I see you have used 12 cup muffin pan but I have a 6 cup muffin pan. Can you suggest any adjustment to baking time and temperature if any alterations to be made? Thanks 🙂
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Anu! Is your 6-cup muffin pan for standard sized muffins or jumbo-sized muffins? If the former, just divide the recipe by two! If the latter, then you’ll need to bake them longer (same oven temperature though!). I’m not sure by how much, but they’ll be done when the centers feel firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these muffins!
Too dense for my taste☹️
I tried the exact recipe again substituting white flour instead of whole wheat and enjoyed the tastes so much better!😋
I’m so glad you enjoyed your second batch of muffins, Randi!