It’s not supposed to snow in March.

I can accept the fact that it sometimes snows in February. After all, it’s still technically winter. And snow in January’s certainly understandable, even greatly welcomed (especially by high schoolers around exam season).

But snow in March? The last time I checked, March was supposed to be a time of spring cleaning, when you pull your shorts out for the first time in months and pile your sweaters high in the back of a closet, alongside boxes of old soccer trophies or baby photo albums. I thought March was a time of low 60’s and high spirits (and college kids running around wildly on spring break).

Well, apparently this year mother nature’s decided it’s going to be a time of snow. And what better to enjoy the snow falling than a batch of fresh baked pumpkin spice muffins?

When I think of pumpkin bread, I think of toasty autumn and winter nights by the fire, curling up with a good book. Or, in some cases, Thanksgiving night, the football game blaring and the house filling with the smell of baked bread, pies, and (my personal favorite) sweet potatoes. I also think of snow.

Snow calls for warm, comfort food. And unfortunately, this means the season of stuffing yourself without reservation (aka. Christmas, Thanksgiving, and winter in general) ends up continuing this year into March. Since we no longer have the excuse of Christmas to fall back on while enjoying our favorite baked goods, the only solution is to bake healthier versions of these treats. That way, we can still remain guilt-free even after the snow’s coated the entire east coast and we’ve woofed down half a batch of muffins.

And of course, if you’re really indulging (or simply… enjoying the extended winter), you can top these babies off with a dollop of healthy vanilla icing. Because come on, it’s cold outside, the house smells like Thanksgiving, and these muffins are guilt-free but still downright heavenly.

Maybe snow in March isn’t so bad after all. 😉

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

• 1/4 c plus 2 tbs spelt flour
• 3/4 c old fashioned oats
• 1/3 c stevia (or sugar)
• 1 tbs honey
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 c milk of choice (I used almond milk)
• 1/3 c pumpkin puree
• 1/8 c melted coconut oil (or 1/8 c applesauce for a low fat option)
• 1/4 c egg whites (or one egg)
• 1 tbs flax seeds

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p>Preheat oven to 400 °F. Line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners (or grease, if desired). Process oats in a food processor or blender until they’ve reached the consistency of flour. Combine oat flour, spelt flour, stevia, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a small bowl. In a larger bowl beat together melted coconut oil and honey. Once smooth, add milk of choice, vanilla extract, pumpkin puree, and egg whites and mix until completely combined. Add flour mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in flax seeds. Pour into cupcake liners and bake for 14-16 minutes, or a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool and enjoy!

Nutrition Information (from myfitnesspal.com)

Calories: 107

Fat: 5g

Carbs: 11g

Protein: 3g

(Yields 8 standard muffins)

Nutritional information calculated for muffins made with coconut oil. If you use applesauce instead of coconut oil, subtract 29 calories and 4 grams of fat, but I can’t promise the muffins will be as rich.