Treat Yourself: Vegan + Gluten Free Pumpkin Cupcakes

Our friend Kristin O’Connor has one last frightfully good pumpkin recipe to share with us this Halloween. While her ghoulish cupcakes may look spooky, the vegan recipe is nothing to be afraid of!

Halloween is not just for the kiddos this year. This one’s a treat that everyone can enjoy. These pumpkin cupcakes are not only super delicious, but also gluten free, vegan, and made without any refined sugar. So whether you’ll be dressing up or not, go ahead and enjoy this treat — we promise it’s not a trick.

No time to bake before this year’s Halloween activities commence? Just ditch the ghost cupcake topper and enjoy all season long!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Ingredients - shop organic when possible

1 cup amaranth flour

1 cup brown rice flour

½ cup almond flour

½ cup tapioca flour

½ cup maple sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground cloves or allspice

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed

4 tablespoons hot water

2 tablespoons molasses

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 – 15 oz can organic pumpkin puree

¼ cup walnut oil

1 ¼ cup almond milk

1 cup allergy free, vegan chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with unbleached, parchment cupcake liners.

2. Combine all dry ingredients (amaranth through sea salt) in a large bowl, stir to combine and set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, mix ground flax with hot water. Stir to combine and let sit for about 10 minutes until the flax mixture congeals and becomes thick and gooey. To that, add molasses, vanilla, pumpkin, walnut oil and almond milk. Stir wet ingredients to thoroughly incorporate.

4. Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until batter is smooth and free of lumps.

5. Stir in chocolate chips and spoon batter evenly into your muffin tin.

6. Bake for 35 minutes, remove, and let cool on a drying rack. Serve warm or store in a cool dry place for a couple of days. I store mine in sealable glass containers.

7. Spook it up with a festive ghost! Use chocolate frosting to “glue” a thinly sliced piece of pear to the tops of your cupcakes, then add two raisins for eyes.

- Kristin O’Connor

Kristin is a published author and private chef focused on encouraging optimal wellness. The Kristin O’Connor brand of gluten-free, eco-friendly products is a true culmination of her passion for health and devotion to philanthropy, bearing a mantra as wholesome and pleasing as her food!