Halloween spirit is in the air! First it was the spiced apple crisps and hearty turkey dishes for Thanksgiving (which, by the way, I spent at my desk accompanied by my trusty textbook and lecture notes instead of enjoying the gorgeous fall weather - extremely self-explanatory why I'm still griping about midterms), and now it's the chocolate phase!

Desperately trying to find something healthier and more filling to indulge in besides Halloween-themed Smarties ("Scaries") and chocolate chip oatmeal raisin cookies, I decided to mix together some good ol' pure pumpkin with some chocolate.

The result? Totally yummy chocolate pumpkin pudding cake minis that are low in cholestrol and rich in Vitamin A! ＾▽＾/

Ingredients
< Crust >
- 1 1/2 cup oats
- 3 tbsp margarine
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar *
- 1 tsp pure pumpkin pumpkin

< Chocolate Pumpkin Mousse/Pudding >
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar *
- 5 tbsp pure pumpking puree
- 1 cup water (add more/less if necessary)
- 1 tbsp half & half cream *
- 1 square Baker's unsweetened chocolate *
- 2 tsp potato starch

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 F.
2) Place all crust ingredients into a large bowl. Combine well. 
3) Press into silicon baking cups and bake for 12-14 minutes or until top is slightly browned. Let stand for at least 10 minutes or until the cups are cool enough to work with. While the crust is cooling, make the chocolate pumpkin mousse/pudding filling.
4) Add cream to chocolate and melt in the microwave. Required time may vary depending on your microwave manufacturer, wattage, etc. (I have a 1200 W Panasonic and melted the chocolate in two 20-second sessions, stirring and adding a little bit of water after each addition.
5) Once the chocolate has completely melted, fold in sugar and pumpkin puree. Add water, or more cream, to thin out the mixture accordingly.
6) Combine potato starch with 2-3 tbsp water and add to the mixture. Mix well.
7) Checking that the crusts have cooled completely, spoon the filling into each silicon cup.
8) Refrigerate until the cakes can be easily removed from the silicon cups (about 4-5 hours).
9) Enjoy!

Makes 11 mini-cakes.

Notes
To make this recipe to be vegan:
- Switch up the powdered sugar for raw honey or raw cane sugar
- Confirm that the baking chocolate you are using is vegan before proceeding
- Substitute the cream used during the chocolate-melting process with soy or almond milk

Nutrition:
(For each mini-cake)

Calories: 103.4
Fat:  3.5 g
     Saturated: 1.2 g
Cholestrol: 0.5 mg
Sodium:  9.9 mg
Potassium: 23.3 mg
Carbohydrates: 17.8 g
     Fibre:  2.0 g
     Sugars:  8.7 g
Protein:  1.9 g
-----------------------------------
Vitamin A: 30.0 %

What is one to do when she has a major brownie craving and her dad forgets to bring back low fat two-bite brownies for her when he goes grocery shopping?
The answer is simple: She gets creative and makes her own! =]

Mr. Brownie Pacman is super-easy to whip up, supplies you with a boost of energy, and is vegan to boot!

Excuse my extremely amateur photoshop job - but I honestly thought that this would be the best way of presenting this recipe xD

Ingredients
- 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/3 tsp matcha powder
- 1/2 tsp coffee granules
- 1 tbsp cake flour
- 1 tbsp mochi/glutinous rice flour
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar*
- 1.5 tbsp half & half cream
- 2 tbsp water
- 3/4 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
1) Sift powders together and add coffee granules. Mix well.
2) Add in all wet ingredients. Mix until well combined.
3) Pour into greased microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute. *

Notes
- For this recipe to be fully vegan, switch up the sugar for raw honey or raw cane sugar.
- Cooking time will differ depending on your microwave wattage and make; I used a 1200 W Panasonic one.

Nutrition:
(Based on the ENTIRE recipe)

Total Calories: 152.3
Fat:  3.0 g
Cholestrol: 7.5 mg
Sodium:  1267.9 mg
Carbohydrates: 29.4 g
Fibre:  1.7 g
Sugars:  13.1 g
Protein:  2.6 g