Healthy Chocolate Coconut Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 cup Coconut Flour
• ½ cup Flax Meal (Optional: May use all Coconut Flour)
• ½ cup Oat Bran (Optional:  May use all Coconut Flour)
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• 2 tablespoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 1 tablespoon Cinnamon
• ½ cup Non-fat, Plain Greek Yogurt
• ½ cup Cultured Coconut Milk (Optional:  May use all Greek Yogurt)
• ¾ cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
• ¼ cup Unsweetened Applesauce (healthy substitute for butter)
• ½ cup Unsweetened Pumpkin Puree (canned puree)
• ½ tablespoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 tablespoon Agave Sweetener
• 1 tablespoon Raw Honey
• ⅓ cup Liquid Egg Whites or 2 Large Eggs
• ¼ cup Coconut Oil
• 1 Mashed Banana (Optional)
• ¼ cup Dark Chocolate Chips
• ¼ cup Pumpkin Seeds

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line or grease the inside of 6 large muffin tins or 12 small muffin tins.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients: coconut flour, flax meal, oat bran, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the non-fat, plain Greek yogurt, cultured coconut milk, and ½ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk.
4. In a third bowl, mix the unsweetened applesauce, unsweetened pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, agave sweetener, honey, and liquid egg whites (or large eggs).
5. Add mixed wet ingredients in the separate two bowls to the large bowl containing the dry ingredients.  Thoroughly mix both dry and wet ingredients.
6. In a blender, food processor, or Magic bullet, mix banana and ¼ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk.  Add to the mixture in large bowl.
7. Add coconut oil. Stir.
8. Add dark chocolate chips. Stir.
9. Fold in pumpkin seeds.
10. Spoon in mixture into the muffin tins until about ⅔ full.
11. Garnish with additional pumpkin seeds and/or small dark chocolate chip pieces.
12. Bake the small muffins for 20-22 minutes or large muffins for 25-27 minutes, or until a toothpick entered in the center of a muffin comes out clean.  Remove muffins from tin and cool on baking rack.

Viola!

Happy Thanksgiving!