Pumpkin Mini Muffins

Halloween means many things to me. It means watching The Nightmare Before Christmas with my father, making a costume I’ve been planning since August, looking for the scariest Halloween decorations because when I was little I hated “cutesy” decorations, gorging on chocolate intended for trick-or-treaters, imagining the streets coming alive at night, and baking with my mother. This is one of the Halloween recipes we like to make. Use our pumpkin puree from last week!

These pumpkin mini muffins are oil free, low in fat and 1/4 of the size of a regular muffin so it’s totally okay to have 12 of them. At least that’s what I tell myself. That’s the problem with mini muffins… how can you eat just one?? They’re so tiny!

Top these with strawberry jam and drink with a big glass of almond milk!

Pumpkin mini muffins

3/4 cup organic cane sugar
1/4 cup apple sauce
2 tbsp chia seeds with 1/2 cup water
1 cup pureed pumpkin
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease paper liners.
2. Mix chia seeds with 1/2 cup water until smooth. The chia gel acts as a binder and the superfood adds protein, fiber and omega 3 to the muffins. In a bowl, mix the chia seeds with cane sugar and apple sauce. Add pumpkin and 1/4 cup water.
3. In separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt.
4. Add the wet mixture and stir in chocolate chips.
5. Grease muffin cups with oil. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter.
6. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes at 350 F. Take care not to burn the muffins.

Makes 36 mini muffins.

For regular-sized muffins, bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Check to see if they’re done with a toothpick.


My recipe originally appeared on The Calgary Journal food blog.

– Silvia

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Can’t Eat Just One Vegan Banana Muffins

These muffins are seriously addicting. The more ripe the bananas are, the sweeter the muffins will be.



Can’t Eat Just One Vegan Banana Muffins

1/2 cup margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
egg replacer to equal 2 eggs
3 ripe bananas
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Beat together margarine and sugar in a large bowl at medium speed using a mixer, until light and fluffy. Add egg replacer and beat well. Add mashed bananas and beat until smooth.
3. In a separate bowl mix together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Once mixed, slowly add a little bit of the flour mixture and almond milk into the margarine mixture until well combined. Do not overmix. Batter will not look completely smooth. Lastly, stir in vanilla and nuts.
4. Grease two muffin pans or use paper cupcake cups. Spoon batter into muffin cups, until they are about 2/3 full. Bake for 18-20 min until muffins are golden brown. Cool muffins pans slightly before taking out the muffins.

Makes 18 medium or 12 large muffins.