Don’t stop reading yet. I made chocolate pumpkin muffins with beans. A full can of beans. And they’re awesome.
This breakfast was originally a dessert, similar to our chocolate cake with beans, but if there’s an option to wake up to chocolate I have only one thing to say: yes, please!
Our muffins are packed with white beans, oatmeal and pumpkin, so there’s enough good-for-you ingredients to keep a kid going all morning long. (Mom, too.)
A certain toddler has taken to devouring all of hers before breathlessly searching big sister’s plate for remaining crumbs. So, they’re a hit. 
{FOODLETS RECIPE MAKEOVER}
ORIGINAL RECIPE: Chocolate Pumpkin Pizookie from Chocolate Covered Katie
- A LITTLE HEALTHIER: Reduce sugar to 1 cup and use 1/2 cup of miniature chocolate chips instead of a full cup of regular size.
- EVEN HEALTHIER: Add more pumpkin (1/2 cup instead of 1/4 cup) and increase cooking time by 5 minutes.
- MORE KID-FRIENDLY: Make muffins or mini-muffins instead of one big dish.
Chocolate pumpkin muffins
Makes 12 muffins in standard size cupcake tins.
The recipe below is for chocolate pumpkin muffins.
To make pumpkin muffins with chocolate chips, skip the cocoa powder and add 1/2 to 1 cup of chocolate chips to the batter instead. Use mini or regular. Regular chocolate chips will give you a gooier consistency, like the photo. If you REALLY want it gooey, add 3-4 chocolate chips to the center of the muffin before baking.
Ingredients
- 1 15-ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened* (or 1/2 – 1 cup mini chocolate chips)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare muffin pan with liners or grease/butter/spray.
- Using a food processor, blend wet ingredients until smooth: beans, egg, oil, pumpkin and vanilla.
- Either transfer to a large mixing bowl and add dry ingredients, or combine in the food process if it’s big enough: brown sugar, flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and cocoa powder*. (*If using mini chocolate chips, stir them in by hand instead of using the food processor.)
- Pour batter into muffin pans prepared with paper liners, filling about three quarter’s full.
- Bake for approximately 25 minutes. Tops should be firm and cracked but try a toothpick; if the insides are still mushy, give it 5 more minutes.
Get Kids Excited!
At Foodlets, the whole idea is making fresh, wholesome food fun for families. This part is for the rascals in your life.
Fun facts:
- Beans are the large seeds of certain types of plants, and are technically a fruit.
- In Nicaragua, newlyweds are given a bowl of beans for good luck.
- An archaeologist in the 1980’s working in New Mexico came upon a clay pot sealed with pine tar containing bean seeds that were 1,500 years old…and they grew!
Just for laughs:
- What kind of bean won’t grow in a garden? Jelly beans!
Wow! Did you know?
Find out how beans are canned–and how anything canned can last so long!
Want more ideas for healthy muffins kids love?
Shortcut Blueberry Scones with Whole Oats
Double Chocolate Muffins with 5 Kinds of Fruit & Veggies Inside
Sweet Potato Walnut Muffins
Just made these today for our Halloween Cupcakes (added cream cheese icing) they are super tasty. Thanks for sharing.
That’s so great Stephanie! Happy Halloween to you guys. We’re making oven roasted apple chips right now for our playgroup’s party. The house smells amazing and the recipe couldn’t be easier, so I’ll do that one next. Thanks for your note!
These look delightful! The second and third link send to you to wrong page.
Oh dear. Who’s the
crazysleep deprived person putting all the wrong links in? Ha. Thanks for letting me know and I fixed it now. CCMHi there from NZ….just wondering about the size of your cans V ours…are you talking 410gm can or smaller? Many thanks…ps loving the black bean cake!!!!!!!!!!! Xxxx
Hi Kara! The cans are 15.5 ounces or 439 g. Hope that helps! Good luck and let us know how the muffins turn out.
Cooking sweet potato right now (wrong time of year down here for pumpkin) so will let you know tonight! Xxx
Hi Charity,
Just wondering how well these muffins freeze?
Thanks, looking forward to baking them 🙂
Hi Andrea! Yes, they freeze well. I always freeze all of my muffins and these were no exception. Typically to thaw them out gently on the counter a few at a time or if I’m doing a batch for the preschool I take them out first thing in the morning and let them thaw until snack time. Good luck!
Dear Charity,
I have a question: I see your recipe for the all-chocolate baking chocolate version, but I don’t see the recipe for the amazing looking chocolate on the inside version that you have two photos of. Am I just missing that? Not sure how to get the chocolatey inside–yes, chocolate chips, but what about how to assemble and the ratio of ingredients?
Thanks so much!
Hi Michael! You’ll see more details in the recipe section. I saw your question and added more details too. Good luck! Hope you enjoy.
I made even healthier with date paste instead of sugar, applesauce instead of oil, and white whole wheat flour. We liked it!