Fall pumpkin baking!! November 9, 2014

Okay confession.....I have never baked with pumpkin or done anything with pumpkin before.

So this weekend, I decided to make some fall bars and muffins with all the pumpkin I had baked Saturday afternoon after our grocery run and various other errands. 

Okay so after all was said and done, it was all DELICIOUS!!!

So of course I needed to share the recipes and my results!

Let's start with the muffins - 

Pumpkin Almond/Maple Muffins

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/3 cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup (if you want a maple flavour)
• 2 eggs, at room temperature 
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup milk of choice (I used almond milk)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• 1 tsp almond extract (if going for the almond flavour)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling on top
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp allspice or cloves
• 1&3/4 cup whole wheat flour (I used multigrain)
• 1/3 cup old-fashioned oats

ADDITIONAL MIX-INS:

• Mini chocolate chips (I recommend dark)
• Chopped dried cranberries
• Chopped nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts)
• Hemp hearts
• Chia seeds
• Ground flax seeds
• Raw pumpkin seeds
• Sunflower seeds
• Etc.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line your muffin tin with muffin cups.

2. In a large bowl, beat the oil and honey or maple syrup together with a whisk. Add eggs and beat well. Mix in the pumpkin puree and milk, followed by the baking soda, vanilla extract, almond extract, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice or cloves. 

3. Add the flour and oats to the bowl and mix with a large spoon, just until combined. If you'd like to add any additional mix-ins, fold them in now. 

4. Divide the batter evenly between your muffin cups. For these muffins, it's okay to fill the cups a little higher than you normally would. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with a little cinnamon. Bake muffins for 23 to 26 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack. These muffins are delicate until they cool down so it's best to wait until they are cool to remove them from the tin. Enjoy muffins as is or with a spread of regular or nut butter. 

MY RESULTS:

I doubled the muffin recipe and got 3 dozen muffins, of medium size which I found to be the perfect portion. With the hemp hearts and coconut oil it helps keep you full while the honey/maple syrup keep your blood sugar from spiking suddenly. Perfect portion control, perfect for regulating blood sugar (great for me with PCOS!). 

Stay tuned for the bars recipe tomorrow:

Pumpkin Granola Bars!