Pumpkin Molasses Muffins

After being cooped up inside we have been having to get creative to stay busy. It's not only that it has been snowing almost every day it seems, but it has just been way too cold to bring out babies in the snow. I just read something recently that in the month of January parts of Michigan were the coldest places on earth. So we can really say we live in the north pole! So keeping it "real" indoors we have been making lots of masks out of construction paper, boxes turned into planes, and many hours of flying around the house to the 'superman theme song'. A winter to be remembered for sure. 

Thankfully, I still had some pumpkin puree stocked away in the freezer. I was doing some organizing of the freezer to see what was still available for enjoyment from summer and fall past. And pumpkin always goes way too fast. I need to remember to try and stock enough for the whole year and make it to the end of summer next year because I love it so much!

Pumpkin is full of beta carotene to strengthen the immune system and vitamins and minerals.  A great first food for growing babes and gentle enough to provide fiber and protein to the sensitive ones diet. Many times I make muffins specifically to have something full of nutrients for my 3 year old to eat. He has turned into a picky pants and it takes a lot of creativity (and work) to keep him interested in vegetables. So a muffin with some healthy goodness in it is helpful when he goes searching for a snack.

 

Plus pumpkin has a way of making gluten-free baking seem more pleasant and enjoyable. Mostly because it adds a lovely texture with moisture and makes it taste much more rich than a simple muffin.

 Pumpkin Molasses Muffin Recipe
{gluten, dairy, nut and sugar-free, plus option to be vegan}
1/2 cup of freshly ground gluten-free oat flour
3/4 cup of freshly ground buckwheat flour
1/2 cup of tapioca flour
1 ts. of baking powder
1/2 ts. of baking soda
1/2 ts. of sea salt
1 1/2 ts. of ground cinnamon
1/2 ts. of both ginger and nutmeg
1/4 ts. of both ground allspice and cloves
3/4 cup of coconut palm sugar
1/4 cup of blackstrap molasses
2 fresh eggs
(or using 2 flax or chia eggs here to make vegan works too!)
1/3 cup of light baking oil: olive, grapeseed or melted coconut
1 cup of fresh pumpkin puree

Mix all the dry ingredients together first. I grind GF rolled oats, and GF buckwheat groats in a high powered blender to make flour first and then mix all the other dry ingredients in then. Lastly add the wet ingredients into the dry and mix well with a spatula. I then use a 1/3 measuring cup and pour the batter into paper muffin tin cups. Bake for 22-25 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven. Eat warm from the oven or cool off and save for breakfasts and snacks for the week. They also freeze wonderfully, so if that's your thing you can freeze half of them and pull them out the next week.

These muffins are meant to be super moist, but also hearty because of the nutrient dense flours. They are a favorite around here all year long and not just in the fall or for Thanksgiving.

Hope you are staying warm and finding rest and peace in these winter  months. 

Much love and light to you!

xo Stephanie