Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

I've been making a version of these muffins since Hector was a pup; as mini-muffins, they've long been a staple of school Halloween parties and bake sales, as well as a nice treat at home. They're relatively healthy, not too sweet, and very adaptable (you can easily substitute raisins or chopped pear and/or apple for the chocolate chips, and they're every bit as good). Best of all, they taste like the very distillation of autumn, and one of the nice things about muffins is that they are fast, so you get a lot of bang for your baking buck. Whip up a batch of these early in the morning, and I guarantee your kitchen will feel - and smell! - like a much happier place, even on a school day.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
~ 1¼ cups plain, unsweetened soy milk
~ 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
~ 1 tbsp. ground flaxseed
~ ¼ cup canola oil
~ ¼ cup maple syrup
~ 1 tbsp. blackstrap molasses (optional)
~ 1 tsp. vanilla extract
~ 2 cups pureed pumpkin, sweet potato, or winter squash (1 15 oz. can)
~ 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
~ 1 tbsp. baking powder
~ ½ tsp. each: salt, baking soda, cinnamon, ground ginger
~ ¼ tsp. each: nutmeg, allspice
~ ½ cup chopped walnuts
~ ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (Trader Joe's and Ghirardelli's are both vegan)

Directions
~ Preheat the oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit, and spray a nonstick muffin tin with cooking spray.
~ In a bowl or beaker, combine the soy milk, apple cider, and flax seed; whisk together for a minute or so and allow to stand for about five minutes.
~ In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and dry seasonings.
~ Add the nuts and the chocolate chips and toss to coat (this will give them some grip in the batter, so they won't sink to the bottom).
~ Add the canola oil, maple syrup, molasses, vanilla extract, and pumpkin puree to the soy milk mixture and combine thoroughly.
~ Make a well in  the center of your dry ingredients and fold in the pumpkin mixture; stir to combine.
~ Spoon the batter evenly into your prepared muffin tin and bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. (Ovens vary wildly, so keep an eye on them!)
~ Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool at least 10 minutes before diving in.