Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bran Muffins

      Fall is my favorite time of year. It might just be due to the fact that by mid August I am completely done with summer. The things that always so excite me about the beginning of the season become old hat by the end. That's what good about the constant change that comes from the flow of the seasons. I think, though, that what I love the most about it is the food that reminds you of holidays with family, the falling leaves, and evenings out of the porch with the air just a bit cooler than comfortable with a glass of warm cider in hand.
      The fall mood has overcome me a bit early this year, and I thought I'd make some pumpkin muffins. Since I am trying to eat healthier I thought I'd try to do something higher fiber and try to cut the sugar a bit. So I made these as bran muffins (also because I love bran muffins) and replaced some of the sugar with applesauce. Of course once I started cooking I realized that I didn't have any good dried fruit around ( I was looking for cranberries) so I thought I would go with dark chocolate chips, because you know dark chocolate is good for you . . . right? Yea, maybe not so much as you will see at the end, but still Chocolate is tasty.  It won't hurt the recipe to leave them out, replace them with nuts, or dried fruit, or maybe using cocoa nibs instead of chocolate chips.  Yum!
      Start by soaking
1 1/2 cup All Bran Flakes in
2/3 cup Milk
Then mix together 1 1/2 cup  flour- I used whole wheat white flour, but using regular whole wheat flour would work just as well and be awesome. 
1 TBS baking powder
1 TBS pumpkin pie spice **
1/2 tsp Cardamom (optional)
1/2 tsp salt
Once the bran flakes begin to soften add
1/3 cup apple sauce
1 egg
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 TBS brown sugar
and mix together with an electric mixer until fairly smooth.  Add the flour mixture and beat until combined.  Then fold in 2/3 cup dark chocolate chips. Divide into a greased muffin tin (I made 6 big muffins) and bake for approximately 25 min at 325 degrees.  They are done when you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean .  . . well except for a bit of melted chocolate.
      When all is said and done they come out super moist and they smell awesome.  The pumpkin along with the apple sauce give it a rich smooth texture without adding a lot of fat or sugar.  In the end (even with the chocolate chips) one large muffin is 340 calories (224 without) with 10 grams fat, (no chips brings it down to 3) 24 g sugar (again, without is 11) and 5 grams of fiber.  And for those of you that don't care, well don't worry about it, and just eat them because they are delicious. 
     

** no pumpkin pie spice? use 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp ground clove, 1/2 tsp ground allspice and 1/4 tsp nutmeg