Flourless Peanut Butter Brownie Mousse Cups (vegan too!)

Fudgy flavor of a brownie, velvety consistency of mousse, little nuggets of chocolate in every bite. Oh, and these heavenly treats are vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, egg-free, and enormously healthy thanks to pumpkin puree and nut butter. But let's get back to that dreamy combination of chocolate and peanut butter, melting in your mouth.

I'm not kidding, these are melt-in-your mouth, crazy unbelievable. And I'm not including the fact that they're HEALTHY! It's like a fudgy brownie and fluffy mousse had a baby. And they couldn't possibly be easier to make - you need just one bowl and one whisk. Oh, and check this out - THERE'S ALSO A MICROWAVE OPTION!

If you want to skip the oven-baking step, simply cook the brownie cups one at a time in the microwave - for 1 minute on HIGH. That's it - ready to go in 1 minute. Not that 12 minutes in the oven is long, but you can cook these one at a time, as cravings strike. Store the uncooked cups in the refrigerator (covered in plastic) for up to 3 days and cook/bake them just before serving.

In the unlikely event you have leftovers, store them, covered in plastic, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. They're great cold too.

And, there's no real test for when these brownie cups are "done". Just know that they're great after 12 minutes in the oven or 1 minute in the microwave. We're not cooking eggs or raw flour; in fact, you could literally eat the batter completely uncooked, although the cocoa powder might be a little cloying. Trust me, don't try to bake them until a wooden pick "comes out clean" because it won't. Plus, you want them fudgy.

Flourless Peanut Butter Brownie Mousse Cups (vegan too!)

Cooking spray
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
5 tablespoons smooth peanut butter, or any nut butter
3 tablespoons coconut sugar or granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips, plus more for sprinkling over top

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat 6 4-ounce ramekins with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, cocoa powder, peanut butter, sugar, and vanilla. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Spoon 1/4 cup of the mixture into each of the ramekins. Sprinkle more chocolate chips over top. Transfer the ramekins to a baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes (there's not really a test for "doneness"; a wooden pick won't come out clean - and you wouldn't want it to anyway, you want these fudgy!).
Serve warm or room temperature. With a spoon. A big spoon...

Makes 6 brownie cups