I was chatting with a reader a few weeks ago about making swaps in one of the older pumpkin recipes on this site and I realized we have a shortage in that category. I love pumpkin things, but am a little too cynical towards how overdone it can be this time of year. I've been baking with more almond meal lately, in the name of lower carbohydrate treats, and while it doesn't yield something nearly as light and fluffy as a "regular" baked good, I like how tender and rich things turn out. Hugh actually makes this rosemary bread better than I do now and we're ordering the stuff in 4 lb. increments so it won't stop here. We may be a little short on holiday sides in the index too now that I think of it so I'll work on a few of those. Anyway, it's food season! I'm here for you.
Until then, I don't like hard selling you on the recipes here BUT if you need a super easy, one bowl, dairy free, gluten free, maple sweetened pumpkin muffin? These are them.
ALMOND MEAL PUMPKIN MUFFINS // Makes 12 (gf, df, veg)
My kids love these. The chocolate is optional for them I suppose, but for us big kids, it is not. You could replace nuts in equal measure if you prefer. Most any muffin recipe that yields 12 can be made into a standard 9x5 loaf with more time in the oven. I actually haven't tried it yet, but I think if you went for 40 minutes, you'd be in good shape. Also note that different brands of canned pumpkin puree vs. homemade have different water content and will affect the outcome slightly. I find homemade to vary, and Libbys (what is at most conventional grocers) to be thicker than the Trader Joes stuff. So if you're using the TJ's brand, scale back to 3/4 cup.
Side note, I LOVE this muffin tin. Muffins and mini frittatas release no problem which is more than I can say for any other brand I've tried.
* Adding a note here. If coconut flour is not something you stock (and no, I don't find it tastes like coconut, and is not a very easy to use flour), King Arthur or Bobs Red Mill gluten free 1:1 flour or unbleached all purpose can be swapped in at 1/3 cup in its place. Same for the brown rice flour, I buy it online, but don’t go out of your way. Replace it with the GF all-purpose sub.
1 cup pumpkin puree
3 eggs
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup olive oil or coconut oil, warmed
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup superfine brown rice flour
1 cup almond flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup chocolate chips or a 3.5oz. dark chocolate bar, roughly chopped
raw pepitas/pumpkin seeds, for garnish, optional
Preheat the oven to 360' and grease a muffin tin with coconut oil or use liners.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, eggs, maple, oil, pumpkin pie spice and salt and whisk really well to combine. You want to get some air up in there. Add the coconut flour and mix. Let that sit a minute to absorb some moisture. Add the rice flour, almond meal, baking powder and soda and stir again to mix. Add the chocolate chips, one last stir.
Distribute the batter between your cups. Sprinkle the pepitas on top. Bake on the middle rack for 20ish minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let them cool before removing them from the pan and enjoy.
Updated edit! These were originally published with 1/2 cup maple, but I reduced the maple and made up for some sweetness with brown sugar, to get a drier muffin. Either will work! but we prefer the texture with a partial dry sweetener.
