Healthy pumpkin & vanilla muffins

Photo credit: Nancy Bordeleau

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:

• 1/2 cup unsweetened pumpkin purée (Walmart, grocery store, Bulk-Barn, or health food stores)
• 1/2 cup vanilla protein powder
• 70 g blanched almond flour (about 1/2 cup: less expensive at Costco)
• 1/2 cup Monk Fruit sweetener, Lakanto (Avril or health food stores)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 4 tablespoons coconut oil or ghee or avocado oil
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
• Topping for each cupcake: pumpkin seeds, pecans, and cinnamon

*Faux-mage* cream frosting:

• 230 g Daiya *faux-mage* cream cheese, Rawesome plain
• 90 ml Belsoy soy cream, at Avril or health food stores
• 1 pinch stevia powder or Monk Fruit, Lakanto
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions for the cupcakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well until a smooth pumpkin batter is obtained.
4. Grease 6 muffin cups.
5. Pour the pumpkin batter evenly into 6 muffin tin slots to make 6 cupcakes. Place the muffin tin in the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes.
6. Once cooked, remove and let cool for a few minutes.

Instructions for the *faux-mage* cream frosting:

1. Whip the cream cheese until soft, about one minute.
2. Add the stevia or monk fruit and whip again.
3. Add the Belsoy soy cream or heavy cream, gradually, until everything is incorporated.
4. Whip it with a hand mixer for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add the vanilla and mix.
6. Frost the cupcakes as desired and add a final touch of a few pumpkin seeds, walnuts, and cinnamon or spices of your choice.
7. Keep these cupcakes in the refrigerator at all times, even without the frosting, for optimal freshness.

NOTE: If you greased the muffin tin instead of using muffin liners, remove them as soon as you can, about 2 to 3 minutes after taking them out of the oven. The reason for this is that the top of the cupcake tends to harden, making it more difficult to remove afterward. After that, simply let them cool completely before decorating with frosting