Nourishing Almond Butter Double Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins (that taste like CAKE!)

I hope you’re ready for some nourishing almond butter chocolate pumpkin muffins that seriously taste like a slice of your favorite chocolate cake! They have the perfect moist, cake-like texture thanks to creamy almond butter, pumpkin puree and oat flour, and pack plenty of nutrients you can feel good about. Watch me make them on my latest episode of Good Mood Comfort Food!

Cake for breakfast? I won’t say no. The kiddos will love these incredible muffins and might just even want them for dessert. Plus, you can get extra fudge factor by storing them right in the fridge! Cold or warm they’re seriously going to be your new favorite chocolate pumpkin combo. Remember to scroll through the post for answers to all of your muffin baking Q’s!

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almond butter chocolate pumpkin muffins on a marble board

Everything you’ll need to make almond butter chocolate pumpkin muffins

These wonderful double chocolate pumpkin muffins are filled with plenty of nutrients from natural almond butter, flaxseed meal and pumpkin puree, but they seriously taste like a decadent slice of cake. Here’s what you’ll need to make them:

  • Pumpkin puree: be sure to use real deal pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, to give these muffins that true pumpkin flavor and boost of vitamins. You can also easily make homemade pumpkin puree with this tutorial!
  • Egg: you’ll need 1 egg in this muffin recipe.
  • Almond butter: I love the boost of healthy fats and texture that natural, creamy almond butter gives these pumpkin muffins. See below for notes on other nut & seed butters.
  • Sweeteners: we’re using coconut sugar and pure maple syrup to naturally sweeten these chocolate almond butter pumpkin muffins.
  • Flaxseed meal: these muffins are made extra nutritious with fiber and omega-3s from flaxseed meal. The combo of flaxseed meal and oat flour makes them great for nursing mamas, too!
  • Oat flour: feel free to use regular or gluten free oat flour in these muffins. You can easily make your own with this simple tutorial.
  • Cacao powder: that double chocolate, cake-like flavor is thanks to wonderful cacao powder! It gives the muffins a rich chocolatey flavor and also provides a boost of iron.
  • Baking staples: don’t forget to add both baking powder and baking soda, plus some salt.
  • Mix-ins: make these muffins double chocolate with your fav chocolate chips mixed right into the batter and sprinkled on top!

mixing wet ingredients for almond butter chocolate pumpkin muffins

Recommended ingredient swaps

The recipe is meant to be nutritious and perfect for a ‘healthy’ snack or treat for kids or adults. Using replacements or subs for the ingredients will change the texture and consistency of the muffins. Do so at your own risk. However, there are a few ingredient swaps in this recipe that will still make the muffins delicious and perfectly fluffy. Here’s what I can recommend:

  • For the almond butter: as I mentioned, chocolate almond butter is absolutely delicious and gives these muffins even more chocolate flavor! Any nut butter should work okay, but I do think that almond butter gives them the best flavor and texture. Using 1/3 cup tahini or chocolate tahini would also be great and keep the recipe nut free. Use the code ‘ambitiouskitchen’ to get 10% Soom Tahini, our fav brand!
  • For the coconut sugar: feel free to use brown sugar instead if you’d like.
  • For the cacao powder: unsweetened cocoa powder will also work well!

mixing batter for chocolate almond butter pumpkin muffins

Can I use a different flour?

I have not tested this recipe using any other flours. Please know that you can easily make your own oat flour using this tutorial, just be sure to grind it very finely.

Looking for extra fall flavor?

Feel free to add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice for that extra boost of coziness!

unbaked almond butter chocolate pumpkin muffins in a muffin tin

One bowl almond butter chocolate pumpkin muffins

That’s right, these nourishing and delicious muffins come together in just one bowl! Here’s how to make them:

  1. Prep your pan. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners and spray them with nonstick cooking spray. Trust me, they’ll come out much easier this way!
  2. Mix the wet ingredients. Mix together all of the wet ingredients until they’re nice and smooth.
  3. Add the dry. Mix in those dry ingredients until well combined, then fold in the chocolate chips.
  4. Divide & bake. Evenly divide the batter into your muffin tin and sprinkle with a couple of tablespoons of the remaining chocolate chips. Then bake!
  5. Cool & enjoy. Let the muffins cool on a wire rack and then devour!

gluten free chocolate almond butter pumpkin muffins on a board

Store & freeze them for later

  • To store: feel free to keep these almond butter chocolate pumpkin muffins at room temp for one day, then I recommend storing them in the refrigerator. They seriously taste like fudge brownies when they’re stored in the fridge! Feel free to warm them up in the microwave.
  • To freeze: allow the muffins to cool completely then put in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Once ready to reheat, you can thaw at room temperature, or heat up in the microwave in 30 second intervals.

healthy chocolate pumpkin muffins on a board

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two almond butter chocolate pumpkin muffins stacked

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I hope you love these nourishing almond butter chocolate pumpkin muffins! If you make them be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked them. Enjoy, xo!

Good Mood Comfort Food

cover of the ambitious kitchen cookbook

The
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook

125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day

Nourishing Almond Butter Double Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins

4.94 from 30 votes

healthy almond butter chocolate pumpkin muffins on a marble board

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Serves12 muffins

Nourishing almond butter chocolate pumpkin muffins made with creamy almond butter, real pumpkin puree and oat flour to keep them gluten free. These one bowl almond butter chocolate pumpkin muffins are dairy free and naturally sweetened but seriously taste like chocolate cake! The perfect nourishing snack or breakfast that kiddos will love.

Ingredients

  • Wet ingredients:
  • 1 cup (244g) pumpkin puree
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup (128g) creamy natural almond butter*
  • ¼ cup (39g) coconut sugar
  • ¼ cup (78g) pure maple syrup
  • ¼ cup (30g) flaxseed meal
  • ½ cup (120g) dairy free milk of choice
  • ¼ cup (56g) melted and cooled coconut oil
  • Dry ingredients:
  • 1 cup (92g) oat flour, gluten free if desired (I used store-bought)
  • ½ cup (40g) cacao powder (or sub unsweetened cocoa powder)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • Mix-ins:
  • cup (60g) chocolate chips (dairy free if desired), plus 2-3 tablespoons for sprinkling on top

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with 12 muffin liners and spray the inside of the liners with nonstick cooking spray. This is just so they come out easier!

  • In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree, egg, almond butter, melted and cooled coconut oil, coconut sugar, pure maple syrup, flaxseed meal, and milk until smooth and creamy.

  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients: oat flour, cacao powder, baking powder, baking soda, optional cinnamon and salt. Mix batter until well combined. Fold in ⅓ cup chocolate chips into the batter.

  • Divide batter evenly into the prepared muffin liners. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with 2-3 tablespoons of the remaining chocolate chips. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool and enjoy! Makes 12 muffins. Store these in the fridge for muffins that taste like fudge brownies. Feel free to warm up for 10-15 seconds in the microwave.

Recipe Notes

*I love using chocolate almond butter but really any nut butter should work okay. After testing, I believe the flavor of these muffins is best with almond butter. I also think using ⅓ cup tahini or chocolate tahini (instead of ½ cup) would be fabulous.
I have not tested this recipe using any other flours. Please know that you can easily make your own oat flour using this tutorial, just be sure to grind it very finely.
The recipe is meant to be nutritious and perfect for a ‘healthy’ snack or treat for kids or adults. Using replacements or subs for the ingredients will change the texture and consistency of the muffins. Do so at your own risk.
If you’d like you can add in 1 teaspoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffinCalories: 244calCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 5.9gFat: 14.8gSaturated Fat: 6.3gFiber: 4.7gSugar: 13.1g

Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats

This post was originally published on October 7th, 2021, and republished on October 12th, 2024.