It was October 3rd and I already felt behind on pumpkin season. Luckily, I had stocked up on several cans of pumpkin a few weeks earlier knowing the craving would hit.
I’m not an expert baker — I usually toss wholesome ingredients into a bowl, mix, and pour into loaf or muffin tins to see what happens. That’s exactly how I approached two pumpkin experiments: a pumpkin banana bread and chocolate pumpkin muffins. I’m still learning how ingredients interact, so some trials succeed more than others.
The first attempt, a pumpkin banana bread, had great flavor but an off texture. For the second test I adjusted the ratios — less banana and an extra egg — and baked what became these incredible Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins.
The muffins turned out perfectly moist, airy, and decadently chocolatey. They’re rich — my mom said one was almost too much for her — yet the ingredient list is surprisingly simple: just a touch of cacao, minimal sweetener from honey and banana, and no added oil. Enjoy without guilt.
A healthy, delicious treat now and then is hard to beat, especially when it looks and tastes this good.
To add a subtle creamy note, I included cashew butter. It doesn’t dominate the final muffin, but it rounds out the flavor beautifully.
This recipe is one of the quickest I’ve made — about 10 minutes to prepare before baking. Bake a batch for kids, bring them to a gathering, or savor them yourself — they’ll disappear fast.
For finishing, I spread a clean-ingredient chocolate frosting that tastes nostalgic and indulgent without the junk. It’s a perfect complement to the rich, chocolatey muffins.
Decadent Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1 mashed ripe banana
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1/2 cup pumpkin
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/3 cup cashew butter (I used Crazy Richard’s Cashew Butter)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/3 cup almond flour
- 2 tbsp cacao powder
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
-
Whisk the eggs, then add the mashed banana, honey, pumpkin, vanilla, and cashew butter; mix until combined.
-
Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then gradually whisk them into the wet mixture until just blended.
-
Spray a muffin tin with oil (coconut oil preferred) and fill each cup about halfway to allow the batter to rise.
-
Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool in the tin for 5–10 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.