Pumpkin Bran Muffins (with Olive Oil or Brown Butter)

A fun, easy and healthy bake to satisfy October pumpkin cravings. Get a little indulgent with brown butter and dark chocolate chips...or stick with olive oil, wheat bran and a 50% whole wheat flour.

These muffins are easy to make, delicious, and get a wholesome boost from wheat bran and whole wheat flour. I’ve made them quite a few ways in the last few weeks. They’re light and springy if you go the all-purpose (AP) flour route. Go half AP and half whole wheat flour for a denser muffin with extra protein and fiber. If you want a dairy free version, use olive oil or coconut oil in place of the butter. If you want gluten free, use almond flour or a gluten free flour blend like this one. Almond flour muffins will take a few more minutes in the oven and won’t be springy - but they’re delicious, especially with a cup of coffee. I added 1/4 cup of ground flax to the gluten free batch for extra fiber.

You can also make them refined sugar free by using honey, agave, or maple syrup. No mater how I make them I like to sprinkle them pre bake with turbinado sugar for a lovely crunchy top. Use regular sugar if that’s what you have - or skip the sugar top if you’re avoiding refined sugar completely (maybe a sprinkle of hemp seeds or whole flax seeds instead???) It’s a healthier, modified version of my original pumpkin muffin recipe which you can find at the end of this post or here with no pay wall.

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Substitutions/variations:

• Substitute olive oil or melted coconut oil for the browned butter

• You can do 50/50 AP flour/whole wheat flour, or all AP flour. 100% whole wheat will work but will be very dense

• For gluten free, use 2 cups almond flour (200 g) or 1 1/2 cup gluten free 1:1 baking flour

• Mix in a cup of: chocolate chips, blueberries, nuts, raisins, coconut flakes, etc.

• Sugar can be anywhere from 1/2 cup to 1 cup depending on how sweet you want your muffins. I like the smaller amount. You can also substitute an eaqual amount of honey, agave, or maple syrup for the sugar

• Tor crunchy topping: turbinado sugar, granulated sugar, hemp seeds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, etc.

• Spices: cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, ginger (fresh or ground)

If you’re going the butter route, I highly recommend browning it for an added layer of flavor. Browned butter has slightly nutty, warm, caramel notes; but you can also use regular melted butter (or substitute another oil like olive, coconut or canola.)⁣⁣

Dark chocolate or semi sweet chocolate chips are not something you’ll regret adding. I added some to about half the batch and they were the family favorites.

They’re delicious with just cinnamon, but adding freshly grated ginger is really nice if you’re a ginger lover.

⁣⁣⁣Ingredients:

• 1 15 oz can (425 g) organic pumpkin purée ⁣⁣⁣

• 1/2 - 1 c sugar⁣⁣⁣ (100 g) (see sugar substitute notes above. If you love a sweet muffin, add up to a cup of sugar)