Pumpkin Muffins

~Amanda~

My favorite thing to do to wind down after a long day is bake something nice and warm. This past week I had the craving for a delicious and healthy snack and decided to come up with something using ingredients that I already had in my pantry. I like doing this every once in a while because it forces me to be more creative and come up with new recipes (and it’s a bonus when they turn out to be incredibly delicious, like these Pumpkin Muffins). Browsing though my cupboards I spotted some coconut flour and pumpkin puree and decided that pumpkin muffins sounded absolutely delicious. I almost always have pumpkin in my pantry – I absolutely love baking with it, and Molly (my dog) eats it daily. These muffins are not only delicious, but also very healthy and are great as part of your breakfast or as a midday snack.

Coconut flour is something that’s always in my pantry too and it is one of my favorite gluten-free flour substitutes. You can buy it at most grocery stores these days, or buy it in bulk at CostCo like I do! Coconut flour is made from dried, ground coconut meat and has become quite popular due to the fact that it’s naturally gluten-free and is a lower-carb and higher-fiber alternative to wheat flour. Coconut flour also has a lot more fiber than whole-grain flour (5 grams compared to 0.8 grams per tablespoon) as well as a considerable amount of protein which significantly contributes to your total daily protein intake. Coconut flour also contains about 9 grams of healthy fats per 100 grams. They are mostly saturated fats which digest easily and provide instant energy and help boost your metabolism. Have I sold you on it yet?! Even if you’re not gluten free, these are all great reasons why you should consider using coconut flour when you bake.

In addition to coconut flour, I used coconut oil rather than butter or other oils, agave (or maple syrup) for sweetness rather than sugar, apple cider vinegar and baking soda combined act as a leavener for the muffins, and finally cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice enhance the great pumpkin flavor. You combine all of these ingredients in a large bowl together (you’re going to end up with a more dense batter than a regular muffin batter, don’t worry, this is what you want!), scoop it into muffin tins, and bake for about 20 minutes. Once they’re done baking you are treated to amazing pumpkin muffins that are incredibly delicious, flavorful, and really healthy! They’re just a little over 100 calories a muffin so you don’t even have to feel guilty about eating one…or two or three. I love mine topped with some almond butter and little honey.. YUM! Happy baking!