I‘ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I love a good muffin. I especially love when I get a chance to make pumpkin muffins, and now that it’s finally fall, I’ve got my chance. These muffins are a variation on my base muffin recipe, which I’ve talked about here, with a few fall-themed substitutions: I subbed in pumpkin puree for my usual applesauce, and I omitted cinnamon in favor of pumpkin pie spice. I left out the nuts and instead, I (indulgently) added dark chocolate shavings. If you’re thinking that these sound like a great idea, but are really just one more reason why department stores make more money on chunky sweaters and Spanx during the holiday season, you’re wrong. One of these muffins only has about 225 calories! They’ve also got plenty of protein, and everything I read nowadays says we could all use a little dark chocolate in our lives, so there’s no reason you shouldn’t be making these very, very soon. Here’s how I do it.

Pumpkin-Dark Chocolate Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups Flour {I use whole wheat flour}
- 3/4 cup Old-fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup Sugar {I use raw sugar}
- 3/4 cup Almond Milk {soy or dairy milk can be used here}
- 3/4 cup Pumpkin Puree
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp Maple Syrup
- 1/2 cup Vegetable oil
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp Pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 cup Dark chocolate chips
- 1 tsp Vanilla
Instructions
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Preheat an oven to 375 degrees and spray a standard muffin tin with non-stick spray or line with cupcake liners. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir until just combined.
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Divide the batter evenly into the tray. Tap the tray on the counter to remove any air pockets from the batter.
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Bake for 25-30 minutes. In my oven, these muffins always take exactly 27 minutes. Just stick a toothpick in the center of a muffin and when it comes out clean, they're done!