A healthier recipe for whole wheat pumpkin muffins with coconut and chocolate chips. As usual, vegan and gluten-free options are at the end of the recipe. 
Pumpkin season is in full swing and we are loving it. We’re visiting the pumpkin patch regularly – with Girl Scouts, schools, and for family hay rides. I’m currently covered in red sequins as I make my seven year old’s requested costume: Peppermint Princess. She’s all about the candy, apparently.

My favorite part of this season though is the delicious fall food. Brussels sprouts, and butternut squash, and pomegranates! And pumpkin! Have you seen the pumpkin section at Trader Joe’s? It’s outrageously fantastic. I’ve been slathering myself in the Pumpkin Body Butter and snacking on the Pumpkin Spice Pumpkin Seeds non-stop.  I may turn into a pumpkin at this rate. 

One thing I always come back to is homemade pumpkin muffins. Yes, there are boxed mixes for them, but most have so much sugar and artificial ingredients that I prefer making them myself. This week we mixed things up by adding stevia sweetened chocolate chips and coconut to the batter. I also like topping them with a pinch of oats or pumpkin seeds. I used whole wheat pastry flour in this recipe because it eliminates the usual bleached processed flour, but is much finer than regular whole wheat flour. If you don’t have whole wheat pastry flour, feel free to use all purpose or gluten free flour.

Coconut Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins
printer friendly recipe

Healthy, whole wheat pumpkin muffins made with coconut oil, coconut, and chocolate chips.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes
Yield: 12 muffins
Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 cup organic sugar (or stevia baking blend equal to 1 cup sugar)
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1/4 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or natural)
  • 1/4 cup chocolate chips (I used stevia sweetened chips from Lily’s Sweets)

Cooking Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with papers.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  3. In another medium bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, eggs, oil, spice, sugar and water.
  4. Stir the pumpkin mixture into the dry ingredients, and then stir in the chocolate chips and most of the coconut, saving a little for on top.
  5. Divide batter among the muffin liners and sprinkle remaining coconut on top. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Check halfway through bake time and cover with foil if coconut is getting too brown. 
*Vegan Option: replace the eggs with two flax eggs. To make 1 flax egg, whisk 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal and 3 tablespoons water and let sit for 5 minutes before adding to the recipe. 
*Gluten Free Option: Replace whole wheat pastry flour with your favorite all purpose gluten free flour. Be sure your chocolate is also gf.