It is starting to feel like fall here in North Carolina. There is a slight crispness in the air and the leaves are just beginning to turn. Roadside farm stands are filled with apples and pumpkins galore.
My mind has switched to fall baking mode. The first thing on the list, my all time favorite Pumpkin Muffins!
I have been using this same Pumpkin Bread recipe (with slight variations) for the past 9 years. Every time it turns out moist, delicious and freezes great! And every time I get requests for the recipe, so I thought I’d go ahead and share it with you here. Enjoy!
Pumpkin Muffins (Vegan Version – trust me they are just as tasty!)
3 cups sugar (I use Florida Crystals organic, cane sugar)
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
1 cup safflower oil
2/3 cup water
Egg replacer for 4 eggs (I use Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer)
2 cups unbleached, white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups Spelt flour
1 tsp xanthan gum*
1 tbs ground cinnamon
1 tbs ground nutmeg
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 muffin trays (24 lg muffins) with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin, oil, water and egg replacer. Beat until smooth. Blend in flours, xanthan gum, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt. Fold in nuts if desired. Fill muffin trays to 3/4 full.
3. Bake for about 25 min or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool. Enjoy!
*If your baking cabinet was like mine a year ago, you may be thinking “what in the world is xanthan gum?” Well, let me fill you in. Xanthan Gum is a good substitute for gluten – the stuff in your basic wheat flours that holds your baked goods together. In this recipe, I have chosen to use a fair amount of Spelt flour for it’s nutty taste. Since Spelt does not have the high gluten content of wheat I add just a little bit of the xanthan gum to keep the muffins from crumbling apart. Ta da! Now you know. (Of course if spelt flour isn’t your thing, or you can’t find it in your grocery store, feel free to use all wheat flour and omit the xanthan gum all together.)
If you try these tasty muffins please leave a comment below and let me know how it worked for you!
Love & Blessings,
Jeniffer
October 14, 2011
I wonder if coconut flour would work, in place of the spelt? I have a little bit from my disaster coconut pancakes last year lol. But I was pregnant and I am thinking that was gross then but might not be now? We’ll see..lol
October 14, 2011
Cheryl,
I remember the coconut flour baking catastrophe! In my experience a little coconut flour in a recipe goes a long way to adding some amazing flavor. But, beware of adding too much as it tends to be very dry and can quickly suck the moisture out of your baked goods.
Try playing around with the recipe a bit and see how it works! I wouldn’t add more than 3/4 cup (and even that might be a bit much) of the coconut flour to start off with. Definitely let me know how it goes!
October 15, 2011
Mmmm these sound delicious but checking the ingredients makes me realise how far away I am from you. I have never seen cans of pumpkin puree over here. At the moment though there are some wonderful Autumn squashes in the shops which I am cooking with. I might try whizzing one up into a puree and using it in the recipe.. or I could buy a pumpkin and do the same. I can check out the spelt flour at my local wholefood shop… but Xanthan gum.. not sure.. will have to investigate. I could just use ordinary flour but I like the sound of “nutty taste”. This is a challenge… I love to go on new adventures with food.
October 15, 2011
Christine, I’m glad you are up for a food challenge! You will have to let me know what you end up coming up with and how they turn out. If you can track down the spelt flour, but not the xanthan gum, try working with a smaller amount of the spelt in the recipe. A higher percentage of wheat should have enough gluten to keep it together without the added xanthan gum. Have fun & Enjoy!