Cappuccino Chocolate Chip Muffins

Happy Friday!!! I made something for you guys this morning, and just in time for the weekend :) How would you like to wake up to some cappuccino-chocolate-chip muffins? I tried these for the first time last weekend, and I knew my life was changed--OMG, I just had to make my own, vegan version. And wouldn't you know it, I made a gluten-free version as well! You can make these either way, the only substitution for the gluten-free version is, of course, the flour. Here's a nice surprise: they're oil-free too! The recipe for your dangerously delicious (and addicting!) CCC muffins is:

Ingredients:

2 cups flour (If going gluten-free, make 2 cups of oat flour by pulsing quick-cooking oats in a blender or food processor until a fine flour forms)

1/2 cup Splenda (or sugar, if you prefer)

1.5 tablespoons of instant coffee crystals

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 teaspoon vinegar

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (Ghirardelli brand is vegan)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 and grease a muffin tin.

If doing the gluten-free version, make your oat flour in the blender or food processor.

In a medium mixing bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together, keeping the chocolate chips out for now.

Pour all wet ingredients into a blender or food processor, and blend thoroughly.

Then, pour the wet ingredient mixture from the blender into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir together very well.

Now stir in your chocolate chips.

Distribute the batter evenly in the muffin tin, and place in the oven for 20 minutes. (24 minutes for the gluten-free). The muffins are done when you can insert a toothpick into the center and remove it clean--no sticky batter.

Let cool for a few minutes, as those chocolate chips are now like lava! Delicious lava, but still...Enjoy!!

Notes:

If you're a toppings person, these are really good with some strawberry jam (A lot of flavor mixing, I know, but I'm addicted to strawberry jam. Even if some people make fun of the way I say "straw'bry"...), tofutti cream chese, or Chocolate Covered Katie's "Coffee Fudge Frosting" [link: http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/09/19/creamy-coffee-fudge-frosting/.] I made Katie's frosting, but with almonds instead of cashews, so the texture was more chunky, dip-like and less frosting-like, but nonetheless delicious!

However, these muffins have no need for toppings, yum-yum-yummy without, too :)

I'm sure you're all wondering about calories...No? Well, I'm telling you anyways! Making 12 muffins, the gluten free version will have about 85 teeny-tiny calories each (WOW!), and the regular will have just 110 calories each. Holy moly, at that rate, you can eat these muffins all day! Hahaha, or maybe that's just my way of thinking...

The gluten-free muffins probably won't win a beauty contest anytime soon. When I pulled them out of the oven, I was a little worried I'd made some cardboard. BUT, looks certainly are deceiving!! I actually prefered the GF version to the regular ones! So, give them a whirl--these cappuccino-chocolate-chip muffins and I may have a bit of a love affair this winter...hehe...

And have a happy weekend!