Healthy Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Spice Muffins

 Makes 24 mini muffins

1 cup pure pumpkin puree

1/4 cup maple syrup or raw honey

2 Large eggs, room temperature2 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup nut butter (almond, cashew, or peanut butter)

1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk, or unsweetened coconut milk

2 1/3 cup ground oats/oat flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp of sea salt

1 Tbsp pumpkin spice seasoning

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (+ more to sprinkle on top)

coconut cooking oil spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a food processor or blender, add all the wet ingredients: pumpkin puree, maple syrup, eggs, vanilla extract, milk, and almond butter.  Blend until smooth. 

In a bowl whisk all the dry ingredients: oats, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, and pumpkin spice.  Whisk well and carefully add dry ingredients into your processor. Pulse just until incorporated.  You might need to stop and scrape the sides of the blender with a spatula, then pulse again.  Fold/stir in your chocolate chips.

Lightly spray two 12 mini muffin tins or silicone molds with coconut cooking oil spray, then evenly divide the pumpkin batter among them.  Add only 3/4 capacity of each muffin cup.

Sprinkle tops with a few extra chocolate chips if desired.  Bake for 12-15 minutes. Check inserting a toothpick into the center, to make sure that the muffins are fully cooked.

Let your muffins cool on a wire rack