Sunday, December 7, 2014

Pumpkin Muffins with Chocolate Chips


As previously, mentioned: I love fall. If you care to know the reasons why, look at my recipe for Apple Bread. If you care to eat amazing pumpkin muffins, keep reading here. This muffin is yet another great fall recipe. Technically, I should be posting Christmas recipes right now. It is the second week of December after all, and Christmas is coming oh-so-soon. Here in Indiana though, it's still feeling rather fall-ish. There's no snow on the ground, rather it has been 40 degrees and rainy this past week. Only one more week here though, then I am on my way to the motherland(!!!) AKA Minnesota....minus a stop to Chicago and Arizona on the way (or not so on the way). 

Anyways, back to the muffins. These muffins are sweet enough to eat as dessert, yet light enough to eat for breakfast. The recipe pairs the favorite fall pumpkin flavor with every women's year-round favorite: chocolate. When warm, the chocolate chips melt in your mouth for some great chocolatey goodness. These muffins are gluten-free and dairy-free as well as refined-sugar-free and oil-free. They are not flavor-free though, so no worries there. OH! They also pair great with coffee, which is important since we know I love foods that pair well with coffee.



Enjoy these muffins next time you want a great breakfast, snack, or dessert- because they're that good and that versatile. 

Adapted from Running with Spoons
Makes 8 muffins


Ingredients:


¼ cup almond butter
¾ cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
6 Tbsp. honey
½ cup rolled oats
2 Tbsp. ground flaxseed
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
½ tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ cup mini dairy-free chocolate chips, plus more for sprinkling


Directions:


1. Preheat oven to 375F and prepare a muffin pan by lining 8 cavities with muffin liners
2. Add all ingredients except chocolate chips to a blender and blend on high until batter is smooth and creamy.
3. Pour batter into bowl and stir in chocolate chips by hand
3. Scoop batter into prepared muffin pan, filling each cavity until it is about ¾ full
4. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the tops of muffins are set and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Check muffins at 10 minutes and sprinkle with extra chocolate chips. When done, allow muffins to cool in pan for about 10 minutes before inverting onto cooling rack. 
5. Muffins can be stored in an air-tight container for up to a week