HEALTHY WHOLE WHEAT SPICED PUMPKIN MUFFINS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
• Place dried cranberries in a bowl with hot water to cover. Let stand to rehydrate, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, mix flour, 1/2 cup sugar, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves together in a large bowl.
• Whisk egg whites together in a separate bowl. Gently fold in pumpkin puree, applesauce, honey, molasses, and vanilla extract.
• Create a well in the flour mixture and fold in pumpkin mixture. Mix until just combined. Drain water from cranberries and fold into the batter.
• Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each almost full. Top each muffin with additional cranberries, a sprinkle of sugar, and a dash of pumpkin spice.
• Bake muffins in the preheated oven until tops are no longer sticky and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out mostly clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.