Healthy Pumpkin Banana Muffins

Yes, I know fall was months ago, and yes, I know these muffins have pumpkin in them. I love pumpkin so much, I'll find an excuse to eat it any time of year, though it does seem to taste better when the air is crisp, and orange and red leaves are everywhere. This was another "pre-trip cleaning out the fridge/pantry/freezer" recipe I found. I had about four brown bananas, some pumpkin I froze back in November, and some yogurt that I still hadn't used up, even after making incredibly awesome pancakes. I made these for our trip to ChangChun, and only half of them made it to the train.

These little muffins were delightful. They were very moist, and became even more so after a few days. They were nearly perfect, except I felt that there was a little too much nutmeg for my taste. I adjusted the recipe accordingly, by reducing the amount of nutmeg by half. I was also really excited to make these because I got to use my cute cast iron muffin pan my mom got me for Christmas (Christmas with my family was about a month ago, so I haven't really had it that long). They're not mini muffins, and not the normal size either. They're juuuust right. Aren't they cute??

Healthy Pumpkin Banana Muffins

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup oat or wheat bran

4 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

3 ripe bananas, mashed

1 cup applesauce (I used plain yogurt instead)

15 ounces canned pumpkin

2/3 cup rolled oats

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease or line muffin tins with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, bran, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients, and let sit for about 5 minutes so the oats will soften. Gradually beat in the flour mixture, and stir just until combined.

Spoon into prepared pans or tins, filling the cups until just about full. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the middle of the muffin comes out clean.

Recipe Source: adapted from Food.com