Back In Business! - Healthy Pumpkin Muffins with Pecans

Adapted from: Allrecipes.com

                             Hey, long time no blog, I KNOW! As some of you know I am starting my second year of college and since August things have gotten crazy. I have been busy with homework, projects, and cooking in my classes. It never ends. I have Friday's off and have been dying to blog and just cook/bake for fun at home. I am so happy I got the chance to bake this weekend. Fall is on the way and it is a great time to start cooking with pumpkin. My family has been on a health kick recently and I have joined their craze, too. For a while, I've been on a mission to find healthy breakfast and dessert recipes. Luckily, I stumbled upon these "better for you" muffins from all recipes.  You will see in the recipe that I adapted this recipe for my mother's taste because she is not a huge fan of chocolate chips+ pumpkin. The changes I made to this recipe are in red and I crossed out what was originally added in. ( you will see :)

                                                  Ingredients:

                                                  cooking spray

                                                  15 oz pumpkin puree

                                                   1 egg

                                                   2/3 cup white sugar

                                                   1/4 cup vegetable oil

                                                   1/3 cup applesauce

                                                   2 teaspoons vanilla extract

                                                   2 cups all purpose flour

                                                   1 package sugar free vanilla pudding mix

                                                   2 teaspoons baking powder

                                                   2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

                                                   1 teaspoon salt

                                                   1 teaspoon baking soda

                                                    6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

                                                   4 oz chopped pecans

                                                    Caramel sauce ( for drizzling)

                                                    1 pinch pumpkin pie spice

                                                     brown sugar ( for topping)

                                               
                                               

     Have all your dry ingredients and measuring cups ready! Since there are a lot of ingredients, try putting your large containers of flour and sugar away when you are done using them so your counters are not crowded! MICE EN PLACE!
                                               

                                                       
      1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If you want to make muffins and mini loaves, spray 6 muffin cups and 6 mini loaf pans.
      2. Mix pumpkin puree, egg, sugar, vegetable oil, applesauce,and vanilla extract together in a bowl.

      3. Mix flour, pudding mix, baking powder,cinnamon, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and  baking soda together in a large bowl.
                        

      4. Slowly incorporate pumpkin mixture into flour mixture. Stir in chopped pecans.
                              

      
      5.Using an ice cream scoop, scoop muffin mixture into prepared pans.
                       

     
      6. Bake for 20-25 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
      
      7. Cool on wire rack or in pans for at least 30 mins.

      8. Drizzle on caramel sauce.
 
                                                Serving Size: 12 muffins