Pumpkin Maple Muffins

I try to always make sure to eat fruits and vegetables when they’re in season and at their peak in flavor and nutrition, and pumpkin is no exception. I crave anything pumpkin this time of year. Pumpkin bread, pumpkin cake, pumpkin scones, pumpkin pie…and pumpkin muffins!

You can make your own pumpkin puree from scratch by roasting a sugar (pie) pumpkin until soft and then scooping out the insides (minus the seeds) and puree until smooth. And to make life easier, there’s great organic canned or boxed pumpkin puree that you can find year round. Yay! Combine that with a good quality flour and pure maple syrup, and you’ve got yourself a winning muffin.

Pumpkin Maple Muffins

(Makes approx. 21 muffins) recipe can be halved or doubled. Muffins also freeze beautifully

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups organic unbleached all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour works great too

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cloves

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups organic pumpkin puree

2 cups good quality maple syrup (I use Grade B for richer flavor)

2/3 cup oil (melted coconut oil, avocado oil, or good olive oil) I use avocado oil

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 large farm fresh eggs

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line muffin pans with paper liners
2. Sift together the flour, spices, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, eggs, vanilla, and oil
4. Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and mix with a rubber spatula just until combined
5. Fold in the chopped walnuts, if using
6. Drop batter into muffin cups using a large ice cream scooper
7. Bake for 18-22 min in preheated oven until tops spring back and toothpick comes out clean. Do not overbake
8. Devour warm out of the oven, at room temperature, or frozen and reheated in the microwave