Where in the heck did October go? I cannot believe that next week will be Halloween. And, again, I cannot believe that it has rolled around to another SRC Reveal. (If you are unaware about the fabulousness of Secret Recipe Club, please click here and check it out!)
This month I was assigned Yumsilicious Bakes. Avanika, the brainchild behind this blog, is originally from Bombay but is currently living and studying in the UK. Avanika’s site is full of all things sweet (and I do mean sweet). She is a master baker and I truly enjoyed perusing her site for this post.
I decided on her Pumpkin Cupcakes with Brown Butter Frosting, but I wanted to adapt it a bit. You see, without getting too personal the Eliot’s Eats household MUST start exploring heart-healthy options. I decided to truly experiment with the great flavor combinations of this recipe and see if I could come up with anything palatable.
Here is my meager attempt:
Pumpkin Sage Whole Wheat Muffins
Based on Yumslicious’ Pumpkin Cupcakes with Brown Butter Frosting (which Avanika adapted from Martha Stewart)2 T. butter
1/8 c. fresh sage leaves, cut into chiffonade
1 2/3 c. finely ground whole wheat flour
2 t. baking powder
1 t. fine sea salt
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. freshly ground nutmeg
1/8 t. ground cloves
3/4 c. unsweetened applesauce
1 c. pumpkin puree
1 c. packed light brown sugar
2 large farm fresh eggsPreheat oven to 325 degrees. Place paper liners in muffin tins.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium low heat. Add the sage. Cook until the butter turns golden brown, swirling occasionally, about 10 minutes. Skim foam off the top. Pour into another bowl to stop cooking process, leaving any burned sediment behind. Allow to cool. (Be sure to watch the butter carefully. There is nothing worse than burnt butter AND burnt sage. I’m just sayin’.)
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
In a large bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the apple sauce, pumpkin puree, sugar, eggs, and cooled sage/butter mixture. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared tins, filling not more than 3/4 of the way.
Bake about 20 minutes or until a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted in middle of muffin comes out clean. Let cool in pan. Store in airtight container for up to 1 day or freeze for up to two months.
I got 12 regular sized muffins and 11 mini-muffins.
For my healthy adaptation:
I wanted to keep that buttery sage flavor so instead of using 1 1/2 sticks of butter, I used just 2 tablespoons to brown and infuse with sage. I also replaced the rest of the fat in this recipe with unsweetened apple sauce and swapped in whole wheat flour for the regular all-purpose flour. Finally, I omitted the refined white sugar and used only the brown sugar. (The original recipe has both.)
For eating local adaptations:
I roasted one of the pumpkins we grew this summer and then pureed it. (Stay tuned for some more pumpkin recipes.) Alas, I have killed the sage so I did have to buy the herbs at the grocery store. 🙁
The result:
These are a dense but flavorful muffin. I got just a hint of sage flavor but The Hubs thought the sage was a bit more pronounced. The whole wheat flour adds texture and the apple sauce flavor goes well with the pumpkin.
Now please do not compare these healthy muffins (although they are quite tasty) with Avanika’s beautiful, decadent, and sinful cupcakes with brown butter frosting. But, in a pinch, this healthy version just might do. I will make these again. (Next time I will sneak in some chia or flax seeds.)
Thanks for the inspiration, Avanika!
I am now off to make Avanika’s original version. I do have a morning breakfast meeting this week and I always provide homemade baked goods. I have frozen some of the mini-muffins from this batch, but I know the staff would like some un-healthy decadent options as well. 🙂
Thanks to Debbi (Group C’s hostess) and the rest of the great SRC crew.
For my past SRC posts, click here.
I think your take on them is brilliant. In fact, I’m gonna have to try. We too are cutting back on the “whites” (white flour and sugar).
Just as a little hint, you might come over to Chickenville to visit today 😉
You sneak! I just did. To think I thought you were just needing a granola recipe. I had no idea! Thank you for ALL the kind words! Sorry that you won’t be participating in SRC in the future. Glad you got EE before you retired. 🙂
I love how healthy these look! I have a whole bunch of pumpkin and I’ll bet my kids would like these! Great choice!
Debbi-
I hope you do try it. I made the original recipe (using 1 1/2 cups of butter) too and honestly, I like these better.
Healthy and delicious? Fabulous! 😉
I hope everyone else thinks their delicious. I really prefer them to the “decadent” recipe. 🙂
I love that you made these healthy! They looks wonderful!
Thanks, Teri. Who knew healthy could taste so good?
These look really heathy without flavour compromise therefore I love them 🙂
Great job!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Well, CCU, I am sure some would argue that there was a bit of a compromise, but we won’t get into that. 🙂
I love these muffins flavoured with fresh sage. Must be very tasty.
I am now thinking of what else I could add fresh sage to—like pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, etc.
I totally get the healthying things up, my mother is always trying to do it to our house. Only problem is, finding such substitutes in India isn’t as easy. These do however look like they’d be perfect for breakfast. Bookmarking for the eventual time when the ingredients reach here and I can try this!
I really enjoyed your site. Let me know and I would be happy to send some of these ingredients your way in honor of you putting me on to a great recipe!
Great way to get rid of the extra herbs left in the garden.
I wish I had some sage left. I over-wintered one plant only to kill it this summer. I just planted some more so hopefully it will get rooted and set in before winter.
My sage is surviving just fine….so far. What a delightful way to healthify cupcakes/muffins. Savory and sweet, love it!
Thanks, Rhonda. I am giving sage one more try. It always dies out right before the holidays when I really need it.
mmmmmm I love the pumpkin and sage combo! So delicious!
I am getting ready to make a pumpkin soup and am sad that I used all the sage in these cupcakes! 🙁 But, they were well worth it!
These look wonderful AND healthy! I’ve see lots of recipes using sage – in traditionally sweet things – in the past few days. Right after I make that BBQ sauce this weekend, I’m going to have to start on something with sage! 🙂
I would never have thought to use sage in a sweet pumpkin baked good.
Great adaptation! I love the idea of a healthy pumpkin cupcake/muffin…and your innovative addition of sage (which I’ve killed, too :)).
What is the deal? If anyone has the secret to growing sage, please let Liz and I know.
What a perfect pick for SRC! With all of the fall weather upon us and anything pumpkin is a winner in my book! Great SRC pick!
Thanks, Lisa. I love pumpkin—pie, soup, muffins, cookies, pasta, pumpkin spice lattes. I love fall.
What an interesting combination of flavors you put together here. Also, hope your change to heart-healthy diets works out for whatever your condition.
Thanks, Christine. Hope to post some more heart-healthy (or just generally healthy) recipes.
Wow, you took her cupcakes and spun them into a whole new thing! I bet if she was looking at the linky thumbnails to find who had her, she never figured it out! I love the flavors you have going on here and it sounds like it would compliment a soup/stew or be a nice bread to go with roast chicken. Good for you for cooking heart-healthy, I hope whoever is having some difficulties improves over time with good eating like this.
Thanks for the good thoughts. We love these for breakfast!
Fabulous adaptation!!!! We have TONS of sage left – wish you lived closer and I’d share 🙂
Me too! Thanks, Kate.
Sage in a sweet?! That’s fabulous. I think I might just have to make this this weekend. Thanks for sharing with the SRC. Love it.
Hope you love them as much as we do!
Don’t even get me started on where October went! These sweet-savory muffins look amazing–I adore sage. I’m now going to feel inadequate when I don’t have a pumpkin that I grew to puree.
Buy a can and make these! 🙂
What healthy looking muffins! Love the combination of pumpkin and sage and making it sweet sounds pretty darn good!
I love that you try to use home grown produce – sadly sage is not a good winter herb and I find mine dies every year as soon as it starts to get cold 🙂
I have one new plant in our hoop house. I hope I don’t kill it!
You’re so smart to adapt this recipe like this! And so smart to choose to eat healthier.
Thanks, Chris. Hope to keep up.
Oh my goodness! What a great idea to add a little sage. I’ve been craving some pumpkin desserts recently, I’m drooling over these muffins!
Me, too. It is that pumpkin-licious time of year.
These look very good! I’ll take a few now please 🙂 Just stopping by to say thank you for participating in Veronica’s fundraiser for myself. I appreciate it very much and look forward to getting to know you!
Suz—
We all get by with a little help from our friends. :). I’m wishing you all the best.
I was just thinking that the other day! I was so excited for october because of one of my favorite ingredients: pumpkin, but I look at the day and october is almost over, and I have yet to have eaten anything pumpkin flavored!!
This sounds delicious by the way.
You better get on it. 🙂 I can’t believe Halloween is next week, either.
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