I teased about these vegan chocolate pumpkin cupcakes on instagram a few weeks ago and I’ve been thinking about them ever since. Actually, I first made the chocolate pumpkins because I just felt like it and decided some vegan cupcakes would be the perfect compliment.

No idea why…just go with it.

Anyway, it’s been a CrAzY week and I couldn’t be happier of the impending weekend. You know those weeks where you’re constantly playing catch up and you never can get ahead of yourself? That’s been my week.

Thank goodness for to-do lists and beautiful weather to keep me sane…oh and these cupcakes.

This weekend, I’ve mapped out a 8.5 mile run in preparation for a half marathon I want to run in November (even though I’m too cheap to book it…$140 for the two of us!?!…outrageous!). So cheers to that. I’ll be sitting the rest of the weekend. 😉

Time to celebrate the pending weekend with these vegan chocolate pumpkin cupcakes! Woot!

Yay autumn!

Vegan Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes

adapted from Gimme Some Oven and Choosing Raw

Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 2/3 cup refined coconut oil
• 1 cup coconut sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon each – ground cloves, nutmeg, and ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup vegan mini chocolate chips
• (frosting) 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
• (frosting) 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• (frosting) 1/4 cup peanut butter
• (frosting) 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
• (frosting) 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

How-To

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Line 2 twelve cup muffin pans with liners, spray with olive oil spray.
3. In a large bowl stir the pumpkin, coconut oil, coconut sugar, granulated sugar, milk and vanilla together.
4. Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. Pour in the chocolate chips. Gently fold, but be careful to not over stir.
5. Fill the liners 2/3rds full.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
7. Allow the cupcakes to cool for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. While the cupcakes cool, blend all of the frosting ingredients together.
9. Once the cupcakes are cool, fill a pastry bag with a large round tip with the frosting and decorate as desired.

Note: To make the pumpkin toppers, simply melt some high quality dark chocolate and place the melted chocolate in a pastry bag with a tiny round tip. Draw out the pumpkins onto parchment paper and allow them to harden completely.

Note: I’ve never used vegan chocolate chips to make the chocolate pumpkin toppers, so I’m not sure how well they melt. 

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