Disclaimer: I can't bake, but these are Jenn-Proof! <3
Natalie at Will Jog for Food posted this amazing recipe from her friend Jen and it almost seemed too good to be true. No eggs, no oil, and no need for vegan replacements [which can get kind of pricey!]. The water, oil, and three eggs the cake mix calls for can be substituted [quite gloriously in fact] by one innocent 15oz can of organic pumpkin puree!
Yup. Pumpkin!
What's in it?
[slightly adapted from Will Jog For Food]
1 box Duncan Hines Devils Food Cake mix
1 [15oz] can of pumpkin
1/4 to 1/2 bag of Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Chips
1/2 cup of unsalted walnut pieces
1 box Duncan Hines Devils Food Cake mix
1 [15oz] can of pumpkin
1/4 to 1/2 bag of Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Chips
1/2 cup of unsalted walnut pieces
Get Cooking!
Preheat oven to 400
Line muffin tin with paper cups (makes about 18-20 muffins)
Mix together the Pumpkin and Cake Mix (batter is very thick - bonus arm workout!)
When everything is completely incorporated, stir the in the chocolate chips + walnuts
Spoon in mix so each cup is about 3/4 full
Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes
Line muffin tin with paper cups (makes about 18-20 muffins)
Mix together the Pumpkin and Cake Mix (batter is very thick - bonus arm workout!)
When everything is completely incorporated, stir the in the chocolate chips + walnuts
Spoon in mix so each cup is about 3/4 full
Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes
So, How was it?
After sending 1/2 the batch to work with my favorite marine, one of Paul's co-workers instructed me to suck it up and make these often. [whoohooo success!] Paul, a few marines, and I all agree that the pumpkin taste vanished into the chocolate-y goodness. Amazing right? These could totally turn into a cupcake if you added frosting but, why ruin the awesome nutrition stats with sugary frosting? These are oh-so-good all on their own =)
Muffins and brownies take a hike!
You have officially met your healthier-yet-utterly-delicious match!
The kicker? These babies range from 150-170 calories apiece.
By subbing oil and eggs for pumpkin, not only cutting fat and calories, but adding alpha+beta carotene, fiber, vitamin C + E, potassi-YUM, magnesium, and pantothenic acid. With a little moderation and a can of pumpkin, dessert is served! Or in my case, two days of muffins and then off to the air station they go!
They were HIGHLY addictive =)
[even for a girl that prefers food over dessert]
Enjoy! <3
Do you make any subsitutions in baking/cooking? If so, what are your most common swaps?
Haha, I plan on sending all of my bakery creations off to work with MY favorite marine!!So I can bake all day, and not have it in the house to tempt me! Hehe. <3
ReplyDeleteOh that's awesome! I have heard of making a cake mix with coke but I can't imagine how that would work... but this is such a great idea! And looks deeeeelish! <3
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness they look delicious!They look really easy to make also which is right up my alley!
ReplyDeletethats awesome! i am definitely going to try this soon! the only thing i've heard of is substituting either apple sauce or plain yogurt for oil!
ReplyDeleteI make pumpkin brownies all the time - YUM... they turn out so fudgy. have you ever made black bean brownies? can't even tell they're in there! I use yogurt or applesauce in place of oil also.
ReplyDeleteI love to bake, and my friends + family + coworkers love the results!! :)
Yum! Last fall I made a pumpkin + spice cake mix cake and glazed it wth an apple cider glaze. deeeelish. it's on my blog if you're tempted this autumn-time. As for this, I'm totally making it. Never thought of using chocolate.... and I'm a fan. A BIG fan. Maybe too large of a fan ;)
ReplyDeletei love these easy vegan muffins! Keep them coming. Or just send me your extras! hehe.
ReplyDelete;)
Yum! I have a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe that is almost exactly the same. Thanks for sharing! I love healthy substitutes.
ReplyDelete~Mary
http://thecraftygals.blogspot.com/2011/02/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-cookies.html
Haha these are like my go-to party food!!! Everyone always raves about how moist and delicious they are and I never mention that they're vegan and low cal ;)
ReplyDeletethis post seriously just made my day...i've been trying to go gluten-free and be all healthy but like you said getting vegan ingredients is pricey!!! but i can afford a can of pumpkin! i'm definitely trying this. thanks friend!
ReplyDeletepumpkin always saves the day. these look delicious!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE DOING THIS! They come out so rich and moist (<--- eww) and amazing for not having to do anything! :D
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you finally found something to bake that is Jenn-proof! ;) xoxo
I love this recipe! I'm definitely going to try it! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWow-I'm intrigued! These do look super moist and delicious!
ReplyDeleteI like using pumpkin in baking! I still have two cans left from earlier this winter and really need to use them. Planning on making muffins... just haven't done it yet. Oops...
ReplyDeleteHave a GREAT weekend, lady! Catch ya on the flip side. ;)
And P.S. Cross your fingers about Hottie McHotterson. He's sort of perfect but I haven't found out his status yet...
I LOVE putting pumpkin in baked goods :) and i just generally love pumpkin+chocolate. I made pumpkin brownies (not with cocoa powder, they were just pumpkin flavored, so i guess sort of more liek blondies?) with choc chips once that were amazing.
ReplyDeletebut i'm also jsut generally obsessed with pumpkin sooo...
<3
n
These look amazing! WOW!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great little trick! Much as I love pumpkin, I've still got a can lying around from a few months ago that is in need of a good recipe... I may just have to go for these muffins. Thanks for sharing this healthy and innovative recipe!
ReplyDeleteAwesome! I am so sharing this post with my bff who is vegan RIGHT NOW!
ReplyDeleteSalivating on my laptop here! I was just thinking I need to make muffins this wknd as a quick, to go breakfast for the work week. Hmmmm....
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, I do this all the time! Only I use spice cake or yellow cake mix, pumpkin, and pumpkin pie spice. It's soooooo good! I usually throw in some nuts too...and top them with cinnamon cream cheese frosting! Hey, why not tack back on the fat I just subtracting from not using the oil, right?! Haha!
ReplyDeleteWow- those look really good! I will substitute yogurt for a lot of things and applesauce for oil.
ReplyDeleteok I can't bake so I will try these this weekend and tell you if they are really bad baker proof. LOL.
ReplyDeleteI tried this once and I thought they were great, but my friends didn't agree! They don't appreciate pumpkin like I do...
ReplyDeleteMmh...sounds and looks delicious! I will have to try them! yummy
ReplyDeletethats the best idea- it cuts the whole baking process and prep time in half! wow and u could make mini loafs and scones and cookies and cakes and cupcakes...so many options!! <3
ReplyDeleteYummy and easy, I love it! I will have to try using pumpkin puree in my recipe makeovers :)
ReplyDeleteHummm I think I will try these this weekend!! Sounds yummy but looks yummier!!! I <3 you girl have the BEST weekend ever! P.S I kinda maybe tagged you in this handwriting thing!
ReplyDeleteCrap, now I'm having some serious chocolate cravings, and I don't bake... what to do!
ReplyDeleteI am baking challenge too, so any good tips on baking are highly appreciated.
ReplyDeletewow this looks so easy & yummy, thanks so much for sharing I will be making this!!
ReplyDeleteYou can also use applesauce for egg and oil replacements in baked goods. These look great!
ReplyDeleteOMG, I've made these before---and I really think they are better than "regular" ones!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder---yours look amazing :)
Those look delish. I too send my baked goodies away from the house, but they usually end up traveling with me to work as opposed to the husband.
ReplyDeleteI use substitutions often. Mainly olive oil for butter, or banana/pumpkin/applesauce for eggs and oil. Depends on what I am making. You know sometimes you just gotta have that real butter!
wow THIS LOOKS INCREDIBLE! not to mention i love love love pumpking and dark chocolate <3 ahhhh muffins and brownies, so last year
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'll be trying this one!
ReplyDeletei dunno...they sound amazing but they look a tad bit too gooey for me. like my brownies, i usually like my baked goods on the crispier side. hence the reason why i only eat edge brownies. maybe can try this in a brownie pan? you think??
ReplyDeleteThese look so good Jen! I've subsituted apple sauce for oil also. Or buttermilk for water(1/2 buttermilk + 1/2 water...you're getting probiotics). Or coffee for water ( do this with chocolate, it'll enhance the flavor)
ReplyDeleteOh MY Yummmmmmmmm!
ReplyDeletewow! love this idea.. love that there are few ingredients (i seem to NEVER have milk at the house--we're a little lactose intolerant so we dont drink it..but it can be a pain when i want to bake). we DO have two big cans of pumpkin tho. perfecto :) thanks for sharing this recipe. have a great weekend lady! xoxo jcd :: cornflake dreams
ReplyDeleteThese looks ultra gooey and delicious! I can't believe you actually sub out all that stuff for pumpkin! Crazy!
ReplyDeleteI'm too afraid to sub ingredients in recipes. I've had one too many swaps for me to do that. lol
ReplyDeleteGood thing I am going shopping this week-I MUST make these!
ReplyDeleteNo way! Awesome! I have a big jar of pumpkin for some odd reason! Love it!
ReplyDeletexoxo
Cat
What an awesome idea to save fat and calories. I need to remember this because I would love to try it.
ReplyDeleteI've heard of the WW diet soda trick too. I wonder if you could substitute silken tofu? I replaced butter oil and eggs with tofu in my banana bread recipe! I'll have to look it up!
ReplyDeleteBrilliant! And btw, send me some!!!
ReplyDeleteWow this looks fabulous! :)
ReplyDeleteI just found your blog and i love it! So creative!
ReplyDeleteI replaced eggs with bananas in the toll house cookie recipe when my friends and I had a potluck vegan Thanksgiving and I was in charge of dessert. They all loved it.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!! Yours look so good :) I'm gonna try some walnuts next time too. I bet it makes for some nice crunch.
ReplyDeleteThese look soooo yummy!
ReplyDeleteDan
http://2matesandablog.blogspot.com/
Yum!! I've actually made something similar to this, pretty much the same except I used yellow cake mix and made pumpkin muffins! They were so yummy and dense!! I'll have to try it with chocolate cake mix!
ReplyDeleteI love it! What a great idea! I use the box of cake mix/can of diet pop recipe from time to time but the cake is very light and falls apart easily. This looks like it will stay together better and it's healthy too! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHeather @ 500dollarwedding.blogspot.com
Those look divine! Can't wait to try 'em out! :)
ReplyDeleteI'd love it if you could link this up at my party this weekend coming! :)
Oh my word, these look to die for! YUM!!!!!! THanks for linking this up!
ReplyDeleteIm sooo going to try making these look super yummy
ReplyDeleteI made these tonight! Learned about them from Simply Shaka when she said she made them after reading about them on your blog. Instead of walnuts, I used some coconut. These turned out so good. And you weren't kidding about the arm workout!
ReplyDeleteThese look SO GOOD. Super moist and gooey and delicious.... so delicious. Oh and easy. Big plus.
ReplyDeleteMaking these tonight. You weren't kidding about the arm workout! Can't wait for the timer to go off.
ReplyDeleteFinally making them tonight. It's about time!
ReplyDeleteI miss you both terribly. I am lost here.
Finally making them tonight. It's about time!
ReplyDeleteI miss you both terribly. I am lost here.
Good thing I am going shopping this week-I MUST make these!
ReplyDeleteThese looks ultra gooey and delicious! I can't believe you actually sub out all that stuff for pumpkin! Crazy!
ReplyDeleteIm sooo going to try making these look super yummy
ReplyDeleteOh my word, these look to die for! YUM!!!!!! THanks for linking this up!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'll be trying this one!
ReplyDeleteThose look delish. I too send my baked goodies away from the house, but they usually end up traveling with me to work as opposed to the husband.
ReplyDeleteI use substitutions often. Mainly olive oil for butter, or banana/pumpkin/applesauce for eggs and oil. Depends on what I am making. You know sometimes you just gotta have that real butter!
You can also use applesauce for egg and oil replacements in baked goods. These look great!
ReplyDeleteI am baking challenge too, so any good tips on baking are highly appreciated.
ReplyDeleteHummm I think I will try these this weekend!! Sounds yummy but looks yummier!!! I <3 you girl have the BEST weekend ever! P.S I kinda maybe tagged you in this handwriting thing!
ReplyDeleteMmh...sounds and looks delicious! I will have to try them! yummy
ReplyDeleteok I can't bake so I will try these this weekend and tell you if they are really bad baker proof. LOL.
ReplyDeleteWow- those look really good! I will substitute yogurt for a lot of things and applesauce for oil.
ReplyDeleteSalivating on my laptop here! I was just thinking I need to make muffins this wknd as a quick, to go breakfast for the work week. Hmmmm....
ReplyDeleteWhat a great little trick! Much as I love pumpkin, I've still got a can lying around from a few months ago that is in need of a good recipe... I may just have to go for these muffins. Thanks for sharing this healthy and innovative recipe!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE putting pumpkin in baked goods :) and i just generally love pumpkin+chocolate. I made pumpkin brownies (not with cocoa powder, they were just pumpkin flavored, so i guess sort of more liek blondies?) with choc chips once that were amazing.
ReplyDeletebut i'm also jsut generally obsessed with pumpkin sooo...
<3
n
I like using pumpkin in baking! I still have two cans left from earlier this winter and really need to use them. Planning on making muffins... just haven't done it yet. Oops...
ReplyDeleteHave a GREAT weekend, lady! Catch ya on the flip side. ;)
And P.S. Cross your fingers about Hottie McHotterson. He's sort of perfect but I haven't found out his status yet...
Wow-I'm intrigued! These do look super moist and delicious!
ReplyDeleteI love this recipe! I'm definitely going to try it! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE DOING THIS! They come out so rich and moist (<--- eww) and amazing for not having to do anything! :D
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you finally found something to bake that is Jenn-proof! ;) xoxo
i love these easy vegan muffins! Keep them coming. Or just send me your extras! hehe.
ReplyDelete;)
Yum! Last fall I made a pumpkin + spice cake mix cake and glazed it wth an apple cider glaze. deeeelish. it's on my blog if you're tempted this autumn-time. As for this, I'm totally making it. Never thought of using chocolate.... and I'm a fan. A BIG fan. Maybe too large of a fan ;)
ReplyDeleteI make pumpkin brownies all the time - YUM... they turn out so fudgy. have you ever made black bean brownies? can't even tell they're in there! I use yogurt or applesauce in place of oil also.
ReplyDeleteI love to bake, and my friends + family + coworkers love the results!! :)
Oh my goodness they look delicious!They look really easy to make also which is right up my alley!
ReplyDeleteOh that's awesome! I have heard of making a cake mix with coke but I can't imagine how that would work... but this is such a great idea! And looks deeeeelish! <3
ReplyDeletei want i want i waaaaaaaaaaaaaant
ReplyDeleteOhhh my gosh...an excuse to eat cake mix! I am going to have to try these soon - I'm addicted to dessert!!
ReplyDeletehttp://cbfiitness.blogspot.com/
Holy YUM!!!!
ReplyDeleteI always sub whole wheat flour for the white flour called for in most recipes.
ReplyDeleteI also use real brown sugar or unrefined sugar in place of white sugar.
I always cut the amount of sugar called for in a recipe at least in half.
I usually double the spices.
I sub apple sauce for part of the butter, but you have to be careful. Baking is chemistry & each ingredient has a role. You can generally adjust sugar w/impunity, but fats are trickier. Cookies & bars are very forgiving, cakes not so much.