Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

My family loves pumpkin in just about any form; breads, muffins, soup, cookies and cake are all favorites. These muffins, made with mini-chocolate chips, are a favorite way to use up leftover pumpkin. This is my variation of a recipe that comes from "Betty Crocker's Christmas Cookbook", a favorite cookbook that I have used for years. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 egg white (1/4 cup)
1/2 cup 1% milk
1/2 cup pure pumpkin, not pie mix
1/2 cup mini-chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup unbleached flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg white, milk, pumpkin, chocolate chips, and butter together.
2. In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients and add to wet ingredients all at once. Stir just until combined.
3. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease bottoms only of 12 medium muffin cups. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Yield: 12 muffins
172 calories each
1.7 grams fiber each

Tip: Leftover pumpkin can be frozen for a future use. If, when you want to use the remaining thawed pumpkin, you find that you are lacking all that you need for your recipe, boiled, mashed carrots can be substituted. I have found that I can substitute up to 1/4 cup mashed carrots very successfully.