To make today’s muffins, I took my Skinny Double Chocolate Chip Muffins and switched some things around to include pumpkin puree. Pumpkin is a powerhouse! So much goodness for so little calories. I add a little bit of coconut oil for tenderness to offset pumpkin’s dense texture. A bit of brown sugar and maple syrup sweeten the muffins while complementing the light pumpkin taste. Lots of tasty fall spices in each bite, too. You could absolutely use homemade pumpkin pie spice here! While warm, all you really taste is chocolate. Not a bad thing! After a few hours, the pumpkin taste intensifies. Sort of like how banana bread and pumpkin bread are more flavorful on day 2. So, I consider these chocolate muffins with a little pumpkin rather than pumpkin muffins with chocolate. I use a mix of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour for these muffins. However, feel free to use all all-purpose flour or even white whole wheat flour. I do not recommend using all whole wheat flour (or whole wheat pastry flour) because the muffins will have a pretty dense texture. If you want to use all whole wheat flour, I recommend my mini whole wheat pumpkin muffins. And if you’re looking for a regular, non-chocolate muffin recipe, try my favorite pumpkin muffins or even these mini cinnamon sugar pumpkin muffins. The chocolate chips are optional. But let me tell you, the melty chocolate chips inside the muffin put these over the top! I like to use mini chocolate chips so there are more in each bite. If you like nuts, try toasting some chopped walnuts and tossing them in. Or swipe some cream cheese frosting on them to get a lightened-up pumpkin chocolate cupcake of sorts.
