Clean Eating Pumpkin Cupcakes

It is hard to believe it is already November 1st. The holidays are always my favorite time of year. I love getting to spend time with family and enjoy the changing weather. It is also the time of year when we can get off track thanks to all the feasts we associate with each holiday. Thankfully there are "clean eating" alternatives to most recipes that still have great flavor and don't sabotage all of our hard work from the rest of the year. Here is a recipe to try out for a yummy dessert alternative - Pumpkin Cupcakes with Chocolate Pumpkin Frosting! 

Each cupcake will only set you back 179 calories!  Thank you to The Gracious Pantry for this recipes and many other amazing clean eating recipes!

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:
 
1 c. canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix, just pure pumpkin)
1/2 c. almond milk
2 egg whites
1/2 c. safflower oil (or any light-flavored oil)
1/2 c. honey
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. whole-wheat pastry flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves

For the frosting:


1/2 c. canned pumpkin

1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 c. honey

1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp. vanilla extract
 
Directions:
 
For the cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line your cupcake tins with cupcake papers or grease the tin itself. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together your pumpkin, almond milk, egg whites, safflower oil, honey and vanilla extract. In a second mixing bowl, whisk together your flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Whisk the flour mixture into the liquid mixture and blend well. If your batter is too thick, add a little extra almond milk (about 1/4 c. at a time until you reach a thick, yet runny consistency). Pour into tins, and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean.


For the frosting:

Place all ingredients in a small mixing bowl, and whisk until well blended. Remove cupcakes from oven, allow to cool and spread frosting over the tops.

Makes about 16 cupcakes.