Promise not to judge me when I admit that I didn’t know pumpkin was edible until my mid-twenties? I grew up in a Polish family that didn’t really do pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, and it wasn’t until I started reading food blogs that I was introduced to the nutritional powerhouse that is pumpkin. Since then, I haven’t been able to get enough, and one of my absolute favorite ways to enjoy it is with chocolate and warming spices.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups (121 g) rolled oats (quick or old-fashioned)
- 3 tbsp (21 g) ground flaxseed
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp (8 g) baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup (59 ml) unsweetened almond milk
- ¼ cup (64 g) almond butter
- 6 tbsp (128 g) honey
- 2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (175 g) canned pumpkin puree
- ½ cup (90 g) semisweet chocolate chips (for dairy-free, use vegan chocolate chips)
How to Make It
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C) and prepare a muffin pan by lining the cavities with parchment paper liners. Set aside.
- Add the oats, ground flaxseed, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a high-speed blender, and process on high for about 10 seconds or until the oats have broken down into the consistency of a fine flour.
- Add all of the remaining ingredients except for the chocolate chips, and process on high for about 30 seconds or until the batter becomes smooth and creamy. Periodically stop and scrape down the sides of your blender, if necessary. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips by hand.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each one about ¾ of the way full. Sprinkle the tops with additional chocolate chips, if desired.
- Bake for 17–19 minutes, until the tops of your muffins begin to turn golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. As soon as they’ve cooled, transfer them to an airtight container and store them at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
