Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

The recipe makes 12 medium sized muffins. Feel free to make mini-muffins (in which case I would recommend mini chocolate chips or currants). You could also easily bake this in a loaf pan but make sure to allow for extra baking time as it will take a bit longer (45-50 minutes). If you don’t have pumpkin spice, you could also sub in with cinnamon, though I think it’s worth the extra effort to find/use pumpkin spice.

2 cups spelt flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice mix
Pinch of sea or Kosher salt
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk (at room temp)
1/3 almond butter (can also use vegetable of canola oil)
1 can (15 oz) 100% pumpkin pureè
½ to 1 cup chocolate chips (sub raisins if you prefer!)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line muffin tin with paper liners.

In a medium size bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin spice and salt. In a small bowl, combine almond butter, almond milk, and vanilla. Mix in the pumpkin puree. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix until just combined, being careful not to over mix. Gently stir in the chocolate chips. Spoon into paper-lined muffin tins until each liner is filled almost completely full. I like using an ice cream scoop for this task. It’s less messy and gives a more uniform size to the muffins. Sprinkle a few more chocolate chips on top if you like.

Bake for 22-28 minutes or until fluffy  and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an air-tight container or bag. These muffins also freeze well if you happen to not eat them all first.