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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins with a Salted Caramel Glaze

For me, it’s pretty much Fall. All you haters who kept telling me August is a Summer month, I don’t care. And all you other haters who keep telling me Fall doesn’t start until September 22 I will have you know the first day of meteorological fall started September 1. And, I saw real pumpkins for sale on the side of the road today!  I am pregnant and it’s freaking hot outside. So, I decorated for Fall mid-August in hopes of bringing the cooler weather in PDQ (pretty darn quick). I am also making pumpkin things. With the release of Starbucks PSL I decided to make these amazingly healthy, but delicious tasting, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins with a Salted Caramel Glaze. Enjoy!

Muffin Ingredients (Yields 15 muffins)

  • 2 Cups Kodiak Power Cakes, Buttermilk Variety
  • 1 and ¼ cups Vanilla, Unsweetened Almond Milk
  • ¼ cup Plain, Non-Fat Greek Yogurt
  • 1 Cup Canned Pumpkin (plain, canned pumpkin, NOT the pumpkin pie filling)
  • 2 Tablespoons Honey
  • ¼ cup Splenda or Stevia (if you choose not to do the Salted Caramel Glaze you may want to use another ¼ cup to make muffins sweeter)
  • 1 tsp Allspice
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • ½ tsp Baking Powder
  • Pinch of Salt
  • ½ cup Mini Chocolate Chips

Muffin Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Mix together all dry ingredients except chocolate chips.
  3. Mix together all wet ingredients.
  4. Mix wet and dry ingredients together thoroughly.
  5. Fold in chocolate chips.
  6. Line a muffin cup pan with liners or spray each muffin cup.
  7. Scoop an even amount of batter into the muffin cups.
  8. Bake for 25 minutes or until top is golden brown.
  9. Let muffins cool.

Salted Caramel Glaze (Yields about 1.25 Cups)

Ingredients

  • 1 Cup White, Granulated Sugar
  • 6 Tablespoons Organic, Salted Butter
  • ½ cup Heavy Cream
  • 1 tsp Sea Salt (If you like your salted caramel even saltier I would add more salt. I like mine pretty salty and this was not quite salty enough for my tastes, but I know not everyone is like me so I left it at 1 tsp.)

Glaze Directions

*Note: This caramel is a great gift giving idea around this time of year. You can thank me later for that idea. 😊

  1. Heat sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. You will need to stir constantly with a wooden spoon.
  2. Sugar will form clumps and eventually melt into a thick brown, amber-colored liquid as you continue to stir. Stir constantly so you do not burn the sugar!
  3. Once sugar is completely melted, immediately add the butter. When you add the butter the caramel will bubble so be careful!
  4. Stir the butter into the caramel until it is completely melted, about 2-3 minutes. You can use a whisk if the butter is separating from the sugar.
  5. Slowly, very slowly, pour in 1/2 cup of heavy cream while stirring. Since the heavy cream is colder than the caramel, the mixture will bubble and could splatter during this step.
  6. Allow the mixture to boil for 1 minute. It will rise as it boils.
  7. Remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon of salt.
  8. Allow to cool slightly before drizzling on muffins so it sticks to muffins instead of falling completely off the sides.
  9. Over each muffin drizzle 2 tsp of caramel and ENJOY!

 

Macros Per Muffin
Protein: 4.56 g
Carbs: 17 g
Fats: 2.86 g

Macros per 2 tsp of Glaze
Protein: 0 g
Carbs: 6.7 g
Fats: 4 g