Pumpkin Muffins

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 ripe banana
1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar
4 eggs lightly beaten
1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 cups (16oz.) pumpkin
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
 3 and a 1/2 cups white flour
1/2 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake pans with paper liners. Bake 20 minutes.

In a medium bowl, mix together butter, pumpkin sugars, yogurt, sour cream, and eggs until well combined. Add spices: salt, soda, and baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Add flours last, mixing well.
 Stir in chocolate chips.

Divide batter evenly between cups. Bake until tops spring back and a toothpick comes out clean.

Transfer to a wire rack and cool.

Yield: 30 muffins

There is a beautiful pumpkin cupcake recipe out there, called Pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes.  They turned out gorgeous. But, with a whole cup of butter, I just felt like it was too much.  My challenge was, could I cut the butter in half and come up with a decent muffin.  I think I did.  If you don't care about calories try hers, but if you do, try these.  Yes, they do have a lot of ingredients but when you are trying to reduce fat, you gotta make up for it somewhere, and it is mainly just spices that require some sprinkling, so it's not that bad.  
Just made these again and they are so incredibly moist. I'm thrilled with the finished product.

Want to make them even more moist? Add 2 heaping cups pumpkin.
 I've tinkered with it so long, I think it's perfect. Made them without the banana and it made a huge difference. Please use your banana.