"Clean" Pumpkin Cupcakes!

In honor of National Cupcake Week, I got bakin' and experimentin'!
I made pumpkin cupcakes... Healthy pumpkin cupcakes, that is!
Though, they came out more muffin-looking... That's okay, because they're still cupcakes in my eyes! 

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (unsweetened apple sauce will work, too!)

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

approx. 3 cups water (I just estimated... You might need more, might need less, so just eyeball it!)

5 packets of Stevia (or normal white sugar)

1/2 tsp packed light brown sugar*

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

dash of pumpkin pie spice

1/3 cup of pumpkin*

4 tsps butter, melted for 20 seconds (OR 1-2 tbsp canola or coconut oil to make it "cleaner".)

*note: my muffins didn't have too much of a distinct pumpkin flavor, so if that's what you're expecting, add more pumpkin and another 1/2 tsp light brown sugar (or even 1 tbsp for a sweeter taste)!

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (175 degrees Celsius).

In a small bowl, mix baking powder and Greek yogurt (or applesauce) to make a foam-like texture.

In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar/Stevia, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, and brown sugar.

Add pumpkin puree, your oil, and the Greek yogurt mixture to the larger bowl. Add in water as needed. (Should be around 2-4 cups total!)

Mix well.

Spray your cupcake tins, or add in cupcake liners, then scoop mixture with an ice cream scooper to create equal-sized cupcakes into each tin/liner.

Mine came out to be 20 cupcakes altogether!

Bake for 30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Once cooled, frost with icing if desired!

(I used light whipped cream on some, and unsweetened all natural cocoa powder mixed with milk chocolate protein powder, whipped cream and Stevia on others. You can use whatever you want, if anything! Greek yogurt, peanut butter (which would taste delicious), or actual frosting!)

Right: light whipped cream & a sprinkle of unsweetened all natural cocoa powder

Left: light whipped cream mixed with unsweetened all natural cocoa powder & chocolate protein powder & Stevia

My mom loved these, my dad loved them (even plain... which was odd, because I didn't think they had much flavor plain!), and I loved them! I really loved the "chocolate frosting", too.

Oh, and I heated up leftovers for a few days and layered some into my morning oatmeal... Hehe. 

I hope you guys like 'em! Enjoy, and remember... PUMPKIN EVERYTHING!! 

P.S. Fall officially starts tomorrow! YAY!!