Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Fall has finally arrived in Toronto. Well, it officially arrived a while ago but the weather just recently caught up - the cool air is here and so the baking begins in my household :). I love the fall and all the fresh produce that comes with it! This time of year, the abundance of cabbage, collards, kale, kohlrabi and the variety of squash is all too exciting for me :). Our liver is quite happy this time of year given all the fresh produce I pack into soups and other goodies coming out of my kitchen.  I have a few squash varieties growing in the backyard but I also stock up on all types of squash which will last for months in the cellar. Seasonal veggies are the best and it's even better when you can stock up and use them for months after they're no longer available at farmers markets.

The recipe for today comes from a bit of tweaking I did to my banana bread recipe. It's simple to prepare and has turned into a favourite of ours. This can be made with either pumpkin puree or butternut squash, likely many other squash varieties will work as well, although I've only tried it with these two.  I like both (a lot!), but I especially like the butternut squash.  It's slightly sweeter, I think that's why it's my preference :) but honestly, both are really good!

To make the muffins, you're going to need a food processor.  Place rolled oats into food processor and pulse until ground down into a coarse flour texture. You can use oat flour instead, but it'll have a bit more texture if you grind the oats yourself.  The recipe calls for gluten-free oats and sorghum flour, although you can use any flour of your liking.  It would work well with spelt flour or it can be made fully with oat flour.  I like this combination personally, but you can use other flours if you prefer.  Just note, that sorghum can't be used on its own as the muffins will crumble as sorghum needs to be used in combination of another grain. Place all remaining dry ingredients including sorghum flour, coconut sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and nutmeg. Pulse until combined and set aside. In the same food processor, add all wet ingredients including the squash/pumpkin puree, coconut oil and apple cider vinegar. Pulse until combined. If the mixture is too thick and difficult to blend then slowly add water. This may not be necessary and all depends on the thickness of the squash/pumpkin puree. Add dry ingredients into food processor and pulse 3-4 times until just combined. Try not to over-mix as it may impact the texture of the muffins. Place 1/4 cup of the mixture into each cupcake liner and top with chocolate chips and/or pecans if you so desire. You can also mix these into the batter instead of adding to each muffin. Place in preheated oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into centre of the muffin comes out clean. The baking time will vary depending on your oven and the amount of moisture in your batter.

You can store these in the fridge in an airtight container and enjoy over the coarse of a week.  Or you can bake them and have them gobbled up on the same day. Give this a try and let me know how they turn out.

xx

Lara

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Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Yield: 12

Author: Lara

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 45 Min

These easy pumpkin muffins are light, tender, and super flavorful. Great for breakfast, brunch, or dessert!

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup gluten-free rolled oats
• 3/4 cup sorghum flour
• 1/2 cup of coconut sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
• a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups butternut squash or pumpkin puree
• 4 tablespoons cold-pressed virgin coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup of water (as necessary)
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips (optional)
• 1/4 cup pecans (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line cupcake pan.
2. Place rolled oats in a food processor and blend until ground down into a coarse flour texture. Place all remaining dry ingredients including sorghum flour, coconut sugar, baking powder and soda, cinnamon ginger, cardamom and nutmeg. Pulse until combined and set aside.
3. In the same food processor add all wet ingredients including pumpkin puree, coconut oil and apple cider vinegar. Pulse until combined. If the mixture is too thick and difficult to blend then slowly add water. This may not be necessary and all depends on the thickness of the squash puree. Add dry ingredients into a food processor and pulse 3-4 times until just combined. Try not to over mix as it may impact the texture of the cupcakes. Place 1/4 cup of the mixture into each cupcake liner and top with chocolate chips and/or pecans if you so desire.
4. Place in preheated oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into centre of the muffin comes out clean.

Notes:

The baking soda and vinegar combination acts as an egg replacer and adds volume to the muffin.

 

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