Chocolate muffins…made with almond butter. That don’t even taste like almond butter! I mean…what is this sorcery? I took my favorite blog recipe ever (yep!), my Healthy Pumpkin Brownies, and put a spell on them. Like my Healthy Chocolate Muffins and Healthy Pumpkin Muffins, these babies are a cinch to bake (one bowl or nothing) and shockingly fluffy given they don’t even have flour. I’m usually all about the pumpkin spice flavors, but the use of pumpkin here functions primarily for texture. It’s a truly impeccable replacement for butter or oil. In other words, your wholesome chocolate cake BFF has arrived!
Ingredients
Almond butter: This is the key to the fudgy chocolate cake taste. It should be be nice and drippy and easily pour from the container. I tested these with peanut butter and they’re delish but after much trial and error, naturally sweet almond butter was unanimously the best for amazing flavor and texture. Pumpkin puree: Canned pumpkin adds moisture, body, and plenty of nutrients. Half a cup packs 120% of the daily value! I’ve used Libby’s as well as the store brand from Target and Whole Foods and they all appear a bit different in the can but work just fine in this recipe. Maple syrup: My favorite unrefined natural liquid sweetener for all my Healthy Muffin Recipes. Just make sure it’s pure, not the pancake kind. Cocoa powder: What’s a brownie without unsweetened cocoa powder? You can also use raw cacao for extra antioxidants and a happy heart. Eggs: Eggs are essential here for rise. Ground flax: For a nutrient boost and extra binding power. Did you know you don’t absorb the nutrients in whole flax? Vanilla extract: To accentuate our chocolate flavors. Salt: A good pinch to round out all the flavors.
Substitutions and dietary swaps
These are dairy free, gluten free, soy free, and grain free. But not flavor free!
Sweetener: You can do honey instead of maple but I prefer maple because honey has a more pronounced and less neutral flavor. Nut-free: Use sunflower seed butter. Vegan: You can swap the eggs for flax eggs (2 tbsp flax whisked with 6 tbsp water, set aside to gel for 5 minutes). Increase baking powder to 1 ½ tsp. You will still use additional 2 tbsp flax listed. Bake for 5 extra minutes. They will be much more fudgy versus cakey and less tall but delish!
How to make
No mixer required! Can I get a hallelujah?
Storage
You can keep muffins in an airtight container on the counter for 2 days, then transfer to the fridge. Freeze muffins in a freezer baggie for up to 3 months. You can defrost overnight in the fridge then warm for 15 seconds in the microwave. Yay for melty chocolate chips!
Please let me know how these muffs turn out for you by leaving a star rating and/or comment! I hope you adore them as much as I do.
(You can add 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice for pumpkin flavor, but I actually prefer these without for straight chocolate cake vibes!) Vegan: You can swap the eggs for flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flax whisked with 6 tbsp water, set aside to gel for 5 minutes). Increase baking powder to 1 ½ tsp. You will still use additional 2 tbsp flax listed. Bake for 5 extra minutes. They will be much more fudgy and flat versus cakey but delish!
