Healthy Pumpkin Pomegranate Muffins

piccola's Note:

Needed something to use up the rest of a can of pumpkin. Pomegranate seeds were left over from a salad recipe. A lucky - and tasty! - coincidence.

• Total Time: 25 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 12 muffins

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup whole wheat flour
• ¼ cup Grape-nuts cereal (or similar cereal)
• ½ cup sugar or ½ cup Splenda granular
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 cup fat-free buttermilk or 1 cup soured milk
• 1 egg , beaten
• ¾-1 cup pomegranate seeds

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Coat 12 muffin cups with cooking spray.
2. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3. In a second bowl, combine wet ingredients.
4. Toss pomegranate seeds in the flour mix to coat.
5. Add wet ingredients to flour mix. Stir until just combined.
6. Pour into muffin cups. Bake for 20-30 minutes. Let cool before unmolding.

Reviews

[fitnfamished]

Deserving of 5 stars on the health factor, the creative use of pomegranate seeds & pumpkin, and how beautifully they baked (just like the photo). 4 stars for the flavor- very good, but I've had better muffins, maybe not better being as healthy though! I also used Splenda which may be why we didn't LOVE these. One of my sons said they weren't as sweet as he'd have liked.
Over all a great recipe which we will make again! Wondered why the grape nuts as they added just a tiny bit of a crunch. Maybe I'll add more, omit, or substitute oats next time just to see how it changes the flavor and texture.

[yclept]

These muffins are amazing and I have made them several times. I added also a tsp of nutmeg and used hemp hearts in place of the grape nuts. They were great as well. For best results I baked them for 30 minutes.

[MelissaO']

I wasn't a fan of the pomegranate seeds (I had bought one thinking I would be healthy but then didn't like that little crunch in the middle of the seed-like thing - so, HA - I made them into bread!). But this was the perfect place to use them.

My muffin tins were dirty (with the first half of the can of pumpkin) so I decided to make a loaf instead. I followed the exact ingredients (using oats instead of Grape Nuts), but put it in a sprayed loaf pan for about 65 minutes on 350. It was yummy yummy - especially toasted just a little with a spray of "butter". Yummers.