Colossal Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Bursting with ooey gooey melt-in-your- mouth chocolate chips, tart cherry bits, and crunchy walnuts, these delicious pumpkin muffins are to die for!

More pumpkin enjoyment as autumn draws to a close.
Winter is on the horizon and every day the great outdoors shifts one temperature drop away towards frigid freezer weather.
Why not have a warm, enticing dessert that will keep the home fires burning?
So while staring at my last can of pumpkin puree and remembering the half used bag of cacao chips in the refrigerator, I yearned to make a sweet spicy pumpkin bread meets chocolate and dried fruit that'll make taste buds spiral out of control.
And yes, I succeeded.
In more ways than one...

Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 ripened bananas
1 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup Sunspire Fair Trade 42% Cacao Organic Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/4 cup dried cherries (optional)
1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sift dry ingredients together.
Puree bananas, almond milk, and vanilla into a blender.
Combine wet with dry.
Add in apple cider vinegar.
Fold in chocolate chips, cherries, and walnuts.
Pour into baking cups.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Hard to resist chocolate chips.

Retro muffin goodness.

R.I.P. Silver Spoon. Died right after digging into the chocolate chip pumpkin chaos.

After eating a couple in the midnight hour, I think it would be more appropriate to consider these pumpkin chocolate chip muffins to be frostingless cupcakes.
Sweet with a mild spicy undertone and pumpkin almost absent (might add more pumpkin), the warm chocolate chips, crunchy walnuts, and cherry surprise have a cakey consistency that far beseeches my expectations and make for a delicious treat served alongside a glass of cold almond milk.
I used very ripened, black bananas, but barely tasted their flavor. That's a good thing! Bananas tend to overwhelm some of my baking goodies.
Applesauce is also another good idea if bananas aren't available.
I just find these to be great oil substitutes. Makes me feel less guilt ridden.
Anyways, back to regularly scheduled yum.
Make these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins and see who'll love you forever.