Pumpkin Cacao Chip Muffins (Gluten Free and honey sweetened)

Pumpkin Cacao Chip Muffins ( Gluten Free and sweetened with honey) 
Recipe adapted from: http://cookieandkate.com/2014/healthy-maple-pumpkin-muffins/
Prep time:  10 mins
Cook time:  23 mins
Total time:  33 mins
Serves: 10 muffins -or 12 mini muffins and 5 large muffins
 
INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup melted butter (to make it dairy free use  coconut oil) 
• 1/2 cup honey or 100% pure maple syrup
• 2 eggs*
• 1 cup pumpkin purée
• 1/4 cup milk of choice (to make it dairy free use almond milk) 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2  teaspoon salt
• 1/2  teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2  teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4  teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4  teaspoon cloves
• 1 and 1/2 cups gluten-free flour mix ( I used Edmund's) 
• 1/2  cup buckwheat flour
• Optional Mix-ins: I used cacao nibs

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 165 degrees Celsius (325 degrees Fahrenheit) . If necessary, grease ten cups of your muffin tin with butter or non-stick cooking spray (my pan is non-stick and didn’t require any grease).
2. In a large bowl, beat the oil and maple syrup or honey together with a whisk. Add eggs, and beat well. Mix in the pumpkin purée and milk, followed by the baking soda, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice or cloves.
3. Add the flours to the bowl and mix with a large spoon, just until combined. If you’d like to add any additional mix-ins, like nuts, chocolate or dried fruit, fold them in now.
4. Divide the batter evenly between the ten muffin cups. For these muffins, it’s ok to fill the cups a little higher than you normally would. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with a small amount of oats, followed by a sprinkle of cinnamon. Bake muffins for 23 to 26 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean. Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack.   Enjoy muffins as is or with a spread of nut butter or regular butter.

NOTES
Recipe adapted from http://cookieandkate.com/2014/healthy-maple-pumpkin-muffins/ 
*MAKE IT EGG FREE: Muffins turn out well with flax eggs!
STORAGE SUGGESTIONS: These muffins keep well in the freezer. Store them in a freezer-safe bag and defrost individual muffins as needed. 
CHANGE IT UP: You could really go crazy with add-ins here! Fold in mini dark chocolate chips, chopped dried cranberries or crystallized ginger and/or chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts. 

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 J helped me make them. I think her favourite part was eating them!