Pumpkin Oat Mini Muffins

I have been continuing my weekly snack prep.  I made these pumpkin oat mini muffins this past Sunday and have been taking 3 a day with me to work to eat as my snack on my drive home.  I need something easy to eat that is also satisfying and delicious.  Low and behold, these hit all those spots.  They are also perfect size for a toddler, as well!  Taylor has been eating them for snack when I get home from picking her up at the sitters.  She obviously also helped me pour all the ingredients into the blender. 

Fall isn't technically here yet, but let's be serious, who is ready for Summer to end and those Fall vibes to begin?  This girl right here is!!!!  I just started pulling all my Fall decorations down form the attic too.  Anything pumpkin I am a fan of once September hits.  I crave the Dunkin Donuts Pumpkin flavor and the minute I know it's there I am the first one in line.  I drink way to much of it during the Fall season, so thank goodness it's only seasonal 🙂  

These pumpkin muffins are flour-less too, which is always a plus in my eyes.  They are super moist too, which I find to be the best thing about them.  I added dark chocolate semi sweet morsels to them, as well, and that is the perfect touch.  If you would prefer adding a different flavor morsel to them, instead of chocolate, be my guest.  

Ingredients to make these muffins

You will need 1 ½ cups rolled oats or oat bran. If you've never used oat bran before, I am a fan of Bob's Red Mill Oat Bran.  You will also need 2 tsp. of baking powder, 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, ¼ tsp. baking soda, ¼ tsp. kosher salt.  You will also need 2 large eggs, 1 cup organic pumpkin puree, ¾ cup packed light brown sugar, 3 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract. 

Then fold in ¹⁄3  cup mini dark chocolate semi-sweet morsels (or your choice of morsel flavor 😉  You will also need coconut cooking spray to grease your muffin tin or you can use mini muffin liners. If you are in the market for a blender I recommend the one I use.  Ninja Professional Counter Top Blender because it comes with 2 smoothie attachments, which I make a lot of. 

How to make these muffins

First, preheat your oven to 350°.  Coat a 24 cup mini muffin tin with coconut cooking spray or fill the muffin in with mini muffin liners. .  Next, pulse oats in a blender until finely ground.  Add baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt; pulse until blended.  Then, add eggs, pumpkin, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla; puree until smooth.  Stir in chocolate chip morsels.

I also did not have the chocolate chip morsels one time I made these, so I used Hershey kisses and pushed them down into each muffin filled tin before I baked them.  That was a game changer 😉  Fill the prepared muffin cups about halfway up.  Then bake the muffins 15 to 17 minutes.  Cool in pan on a wire rack for 5 min., then take out to cool completely.  

* Each muffin is only 82 calories 🙂