Chocolate Chip Butternut Squash Muffins

When I picked up our organic produce box a couple of weeks ago, it had a large butternut squash in it. I sliced it in half lengthwise, placed it flesh side down on a sprayed cookie sheet, and roasted it at 350 for about 30 minutes. After cooling, I scraped out the inside and had about 3 cups of cooked squash. Knowing that butternut squash has a sweetness to it, I decided to sneak it into muffins and came up with what my six-year-old deemed as “maybe the best muffin I’ve ever had!”

Butternut squash is packed full of vitamin A (for eye and skin health) and vitamin C (for wound healing and gum health). It is is an excellent source of potassium (for muscle development and cellular function) and fiber (for digestion and weight management). I would venture to say that frozen squash would work just as well too. If you try it, let me know how it turns out.

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup chickpea flour
1/2 Cup brown rice flour
1/3 Cup Uncooked, Regular Oats
2 teaspoons flaxseed, ground
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
¼ teaspoon Salt
1 cup cooked butternut squash
4 Tablespoons Apple Juice Concentrate, thawed
2 Tablespoons organic sugar
2 Tablespoons Pure Maple Syrup
2 Eggs, beaten
1/4 Cup extra virgin coconut oil or extra light olive oil
1 t Vanilla
1/3 cup Dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line or grease 1 dozen muffin tins. Combine the dry ingredients (flour-salt). Mix together remaining ingredients
(squash – vanilla) and then stir into the dry mixture. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill muffin tins about 2/3 of the way full and bake 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool on a cooling rack before enjoying.