PUMPKIN MUFFINS: Gluten-Free
Warning: Adult language
Please do not read any further if you are offended by adult language.
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Every October I do my happy dance. No seriously, I dance and twirl and leap. Fall makes me happy. Not just happy, happy. I mean deliriously happy. Just last night I was squealing to my husband about some totally kickass mini Halloween water bottles I found at the grocery store. He smirked, then shook his head and laughed, and said, "You're like 13 years old." Hell yes I am... and I'm not sorry.
But seriously, look at these little darlings! I still can't get over it!
Okay I know, I know, back to the muffins. But seriously, look at those! I'd like to hug the person who came up with them. I'll be bringing those puppies in for both girls' Halloween parties at school.
So ya, I get pretty excited about Fall. And Halloween, PFFT... forget about it. It's on like Donkey Kong.
Everything about Fall and Halloween excites me to my core. The colors, the smells, the crisp air, the clothes, the decorations, the holiday shows, and of course the food. And by food I mean everything and anything pumpkin-flavored. I don't care what other ingredients are in it, if there's pumpkin in it, it's going down the hatch. For reals. I am like a rabid dog when I smell pumpkin pie spices. It makes my mouth water and my eyes glaze over. Must... Eat... Now.
For the past few days, I've had ideas of pumpkin muffins swirling in my head. Finally I couldn't take it anymore, I was working myself up into a pumpkin-craving tizzy. So yesterday morning I stayed in my kitchen until I got a recipe for pumpkin muffins to the exact yumminess I needed it to be. And believe me, I had some big shoes to fill since I had worked myself up into a monster craving for it. I knew once I perfected these suckers, I was gonna do some damage... rapid-fire style.
Luckily for me and for you, the only damage that will be done is eating these babies up too quick... which will cause you to have to get your ass back into the kitchen to make more!
Speaking of your ass, did I mention these muffins are GOOD FOR YOU? Uh, ya... like no guilt. I mean ABSOLUTELY NO GUILT. We're talking no sugar, no flour, no oil, and no butter. And they are just barely over 100 calories per muffin! We're talking wholesome ingredients that are real food ingredients and are actually good for you. So eat up!
I made my 12 muffin batch yesterday.. and there's one left. One. Let me say though, I did not eat all eleven. My family was more than willing to help me eat them. In fact, it's apparent that when I make these from now on, I'm gonna need to hide some for me. Cause damn. It was like the vultures descended upon me.
I'm just going to go ahead and say it. I feel like after eating these pumpkin muffins with a cup of pumpkin spice coffee, I got a glimpse of what Heaven must really be like. I know, I really think I need help. Like shit-tons.
But I mean, come on, look at these suckers!! So pumpkin-y and banana-y and moist and yummy!
Okay, I know I take this pumpkin thing a little far but I don't think I'm alone in this. I feel I have fellow pumpkin-loving peeps out there. I can't possibly be the only one. At least I know I'm not alone in my house.
My kids went INSANE over these! My Hubs did too! I know when my kids go nuts over something that I have a winner. Kids are SO much harder to please than grown-ups, especially when it comes to sweets.
Kick off October the right way... stuff your face with these ridiculously, delicious muffins!
And let me tell you, if ravishing these Pumpkin Muffins means that you're kicking things off the right way, I am the almighty kick-off champion. My medal should be coming in the mail very soon. Just try to keep up ;)
HEALTHY PUMPKIN MUFFINS
Makes 12 Gluten-Free Muffins
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WHATCHU NEED:
2 1/2c gluten-free OATS (Old Fashioned, NOT instant)
1/2c BAKING STEVIA
1/2c PLAIN GREEK YOGURT
1 can (15oz) 100% PURE PUMPKIN
2 EGGS
2 BANANAS (Very ripe w/ black spots)
1 tsp GROUND CEYLON CINNAMON or REG. GROUND CINNAMON
1/2 tsp organic GROUND GINGER
1/2 tsp organic GROUND NUTMEG
1 tsp BAKING SODA
1 tsp BAKING POWDER
PECANS, whole or pieces (Optional)
FOIL LINERS (if using a regular muffin pan)
WHATCHU DO:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Pulverize your oats in a blender or FP until it's a flour-like consistency (it will be courser than regular flour). Put in large bowl.
3. Add baking stevia, baking powder, and baking soda to large bowl and mix well.
4. In a medium bowl, mix together pumpkin, eggs, 2 packets of stevia, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Mix well.
Note:
Make sure you buy the PURE PUMPKIN and NOT the 'Easy Pumpkin Pie Mix'. The easy pumpkin mix has refined sugar as well as spices mixed in it. You want straight up pumpkin, nuthin' but pumpkin.
5. Add greek yogurt to pumpkin mixture and stir well.
6. Add pumpkin mixture to oat mixture and stir well.
7. Dice bananas up and fold into batter. You can dice them as small or as big as you prefer. I like to really taste the banana, so I dice mine kinda big.
*You can also mash the bananas if you don't want to actually taste bits of banana in your muffins but it does change the taste and the muffins are more moist with the diced bananas.
8. Line a muffin pan with foil liners OR use a silicone muffin pan or silicone baking cups.
Please Note:
Because the muffins are flourless, they will stick to paper liners. They'll still stick a little bit even using the foil liners. Just peel the foil liners off carefully. They'll peel off a lot easier once they've been in the fridge. Or you can opt for silicone pans which work great and have a super easy clean up.
9. Fill muffin cups to the top. They will not rise much at all (again, because their isn't any flour). The pic below is one of the muffins already baked. You can see they don't rise much. It's a very heavy batter, it doesn't puff up much at all.
As you can see in the next pic, the silicone works wonderfully! After the muffins are done baking, they just slip right out of these suckers like magic.
10. Top each muffin with pecans. I always leave a few plain for my youngest. Although she loves nuts, for some reason she doesn't like them on muffins.
You can also fold in additional pecans or chopped walnuts into the mixture with the diced bananas for a different taste. Nuts being inside the batter bring a different kind of yummy texture to the muffins.
11. Bake 20-25 minutes or until tops are a light golden brown.
12. Store your muffins in the refrigerator in a gallon storage bag. They will stay fresh for up to 7 days (but believe me, they'll be gone before 7 days!).
ENJOY!!!
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION: Serving size = 1 Muffin
105 CALORIES
2g FAT
29g CARBS
4g SUGAR
4g FIBER
5g PROTEIN
Note:
I like my batter extra sweet. The stevia packets are sweeter than baking stevia. So on top of the 1/2c Baking Stevia, I also add 2 Stevia Packets to the batter. You don't have to do this. It's totally optional.
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*The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content in this article is for general information purposes only. I am not a doctor, nor am I a dietitian. Talk to your physician before making any changes in your diet or exercise regimen. The information found in this article is from various sources which include, but are not limited to, the sites listed above. I encourage you to do your own research and talk with your physician before making any changes in diet or exercise. What has worked for me may not work for you. This information in this article or on this website should never replace or serve as medical advice.
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