Pumpkin Muffins

With fall season comes warm spices! These pumpkin muffins are soft, moist, and perfectly spiced!

Autumn is upon us and with the Fall comes all things pumpkin! These little muffins will have your entire home smelling like pumpkin spice and everything that comes with the season!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Here is what you’ll need to make these pumpkin muffins:

• Pumpkin Puree: Be sure to get the unsweetened variety, not the ones that are marked pumpkin pie filling.
• Rolled Oats: I love baking with rolled oats as they are packed with nutrition! Gluten-free rolled oats make these muffins gluten-free.
• Unsweetened Applesauce: For added moistness and sweetness to these muffins.
• Baking Powder: Leavening agent to help these muffins rise.
• Pumpkin Spice: Warm spice combination for added flavor.
• Eggs: Used as a binder to hold the muffins together.
• Oil: I used extra light tasting olive oil, but any other mild-tasting oil works as well.
• Maple Syrup: For added sweetness to these muffins.
• Vanilla Extract: To enhance the flavors in these muffins.

PROCESS

1. Blend the oats into a flour and add it to a bowl.
2. Add the baking powder, and pumpkin spice to the bowl with the ground oats and mix until combined.
3. Blend the pumpkin puree, applesauce, eggs, oil, maple syrup and vanilla until smooth. Pour this mixture into a bowl.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet.
5. Mix until combined.
6. Pour the mixture into a mini muffin pan. Bake for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS

Let the muffins completely cool and store them in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature or up to 5 days in the fridge. To freeze, store in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag once cooled for up to 3 months. To reheat, simply microwave the muffins for 20-30 seconds, or until warmed through!

SUBSTITUTIONS

• Eggs: You may replace the egg with a flax egg. To make a flax egg, combine 3 tablespoons of water with 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed. Let the mixture sit in the fridge for about 15 minutes until it forms a gel-like texture.
• Oil: The oil may be replaced with equal parts melted butter.
• Pumpkin Spice: The pumpkin spice may be replaced with a mixture of cinnamon and nutmeg.

RECIPE NOTES

• This recipe makes 30 mini muffins. You may make regular-sized muffins by adding a few more minutes to the total bake time. You may also bake in a loaf pan to create pumpkin bread.
• I love this this nutribullet blender to blend the wet ingredients into a smooth batter.
• I used extra light tasting olive oil in this recipe. Use a mild tasting oil like coconut oil or melted butter so that the taste doesn’t overpower the muffins.
• You may reduce the amount of maple syrup if you prefer less sweetness in the muffins. I wouldn’t suggest omitting it completely as the applesauce does not provide much sweetness on its own. 
• I like to use a silicone muffin pan to bake these muffins as they pop out easily without any sticking. If using a regular mini muffin pan, be sure to coat with a cooking spray beforehand.

You may also like:

• Pumpkin Puffs
• Pumpkin Banana Cookies
• Spinach Banana Muffins