Whole wheat, naturally sweetened peanut butter pumpkin muffins, with optional chocolate chips!

Happy Labor Day! Also known as the start of fall. To me, at least. I know technically, fall doesn’t start for a couple more weeks, but this weekend is always the transition one for me. We soak up the last bits of summer and then start looking ahead to fall.

Fall might be my favorite season. I love crisp winter days, I love the freshness of spring, and of course there’s no fun like summer fun. But fall to me is just cozy and comforting. It always feels like a new beginning, I suppose because it’s back to school time. It feels like a time of reflection, too… something about all those changing colors, the transition from a time of growing to a time of harvest and storing away, nature preparing for a winter hibernation. Fall makes me want to slow down, snuggle up with my kids, with a book, with a pen and paper and just reflect on the many joys in my life.

Fall is football and crunching leaves and sweaters and boots and, of course, all things pumpkin. We are serious pumpkin people here. My pantry is stocked with a minimum of two cans of pumpkin ALL year long. I am never, ever without pumpkin. Once, two years ago, there was a pumpkin shortage. No pumpkin to be had at any store in the area for more than a month. I nearly had a panic attack. Must. Have. Pumpkin.

And my kids must have peanut butter. *Almost* daily. We have peanut butter pumpkin overnight oatmeal jars at least once a week for breakfast, peanut or almond butter sandwiches once a week for lunch, peanut butter and banana “sandwiches” weekly for snack, and there’s usually raisin bread with peanut butter for breakfast one weekend morning. It’s a lot of peanut butter.

And since we love peanut butter with our pumpkin, these muffins are a big hit at my house. They’re great for breakfast or lunch (and you can sub almond butter if you need it to be peanut-free for school, like we do) and they are a great after-school snack, too. (Plus, the freeze beautifully, so you can store the extras away to have on hand. Never be without something pumpkin in the house!) I, of course, like adding some chocolate chips. Cause, well, why not?

Enjoy the holiday, soak up some sunshine today and then welcome fall with these peanut butter pumpkin muffins!

Yield: 12 muffins

Peanut butter pumpkin muffins

Print

Whole wheat, naturally sweetened peanut butter pumpkin muffins, with optional chocolate chips!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 heaping cup pumpkin puree
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (optional, see notes for a half-and-half batch)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Prepare a muffin
   
2. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add the eggs, peanut butter, honey, vanilla and pumpkin puree. Mix the wet ingredients until combined and then stir into the dry ingredients. The batter is thick!
   
3. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners - I also spray with cooking spray - and distribute the batter evenly.
   
4. Bake at 350 for 18-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
   
5. Let cool and store at room temperature for 3-4 days or wrap in aluminum foil and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Notes

* These are great with an extra spread of peanut butter.

* You can sub almond butter for the peanut butter. I do this if I want to send them to school for lunches. (My kids’ preschool is peanut-free.)

* You can use 1 cup of chocolate chips for the whole batch or you can split it, like I did. I spooned the plain batter into six muffin liners. Then I mixed in 1/2 cup of chocolate chips to the remaining batter in the bowl and poured that into the remaining six muffin liners to make a half-and-half batch.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 247Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 270mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 4gSugar: 21gProtein: 6g

** What’s your favorite part of fall?