Healthy Eats – Food Network Healthy Living Blog: Food Network's Healthy Eats: Healthy Recipes, Weight Loss Tips & Nutrition Information

In the fall, I utilize fresh and canned pumpkin as much as physically and culinarily possible. I adore filling my house with this gourd’s sweet and nutty aroma and autumn in my house wouldn’t be the same without it. That said, I’m curious why chefs don’t combine pumpkin and chocolate more often. I got creative recently and made pumpkin muffins laced with semi-sweet chocolate morsels. Before you try them, I must warn you: They’re wonderfully unique and incredibly addictive. In fact, my family devoured all 36 mini muffins MUCH sooner than I anticipated, leaving everyone hankering for more. Once the muffin pan was empty, my son Kyle looked at me with his big green eyes and asked, “Mom, can you make these before you go to bed tonight so I have something to look forward to in the morning?” Who can say no to that?

Not only are these muffins delicious, they’re healthy too. Pumpkin is loaded with fiber, beta carotene and other powerful antioxidants. Plus, I lightened up traditional muffin batter by using low-fat vanilla yogurt and light butter, so each muffin has just 69 calories and 2 grams of fat. Give them a try and let me know what you think!

Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

Cooking spray
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
15-ounce can pumpkin (not pie filling)
1/2 cup lowfat vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup melted light butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels/chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat three 12-cup mini muffin tins with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, beat together the brown sugar and eggs until blended. Beat in the pumpkin, yogurt, melted butter and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Add the flour mixture and beat until just blended (don’t overbeat). Fold in the chocolate morsels.
Spoon the batter into 36 mini muffin cups.
Bake 10 minutes, until a wooden pick comes out clean.
Cool muffins, in pans, on a wire racks. Devour.

Makes 36 muffins
Nutrition Info Per Muffin
Calories: 69
Total Fat: 2 grams
Saturated Fat: 1 gram
Total Carbohydrate: 12 grams
Sugars: 7 grams
Protein: 1 gram
Sodium: 65 milligrams
Cholesterol: 12 milligrams
Fiber: 1 gram