No oil/butter - Pumpkin Muffins

I had a bag of pureed pumpkin, in a one cup portion, in my freezer. Since fall is upon us, I decided I should use the last of the frozen before I prep and freeze more pumpkin puree this year. I looked at various recipes for pumpkin muffins and cupcakes, but couldn't find one that I just loved. The main set-back in the ones I reviewed was that they contained canola oil, which we avoid in our kitchen. I also wanted to try and stay away from butter and other oils for this recipe, for the fun of it.

For this recipe, you will need:
2 Cups of Flour (we use whole wheat)
1 Teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 Teaspoon of baking soda
1 Teaspoon of salt
2 Teaspoons of cinnamon
2/3 Cup Sugar (we use raw sugar)
1 Teaspoon of Molasses
1/2 cup apple sauce
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup buttermilk (or 1/3 cup milk with 1 tsp. vinegar - let sit for a few minutes before use)
2 eggs

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Place muffin cups (my recipe produced 17 muffins, but I used shaped cups) on a baking sheet, or line muffin pans.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and sugar; set aside. 

3. Combine the applesauce, pumpkin puree, buttermilk, molasses, and eggs and mix until well blended. 

4. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the dry ingredients and blend until combined. *Note - At this point, you can throw in nuts, raisins, diced fruits, shaved carrots, and any other dry (non-absorbent) ingredients you would like. We chose plain for this recipe.

5. Divide the batter evenly in the prepared muffin pan. Bake in the preheated oven until the tops spring back when lightly pressed, 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Cool and enjoy!

Apple Fall Bakes

We love Fall!! This weekend, we had our first change in weather, which brought us down to the 70's! That may not sound like a great cool-down, but when you are going from upper 90's to low 70's you get excited. When thinking of my favorite things of fall, you know food is somewhere near the top of that list. Fall produce is a must-have and we savor every bit of it, with apples and pumpkin being among our favorites. I began thinking of recipes and thought of a simple one to try. Below, you will find my recipe for Apple Fall Bakes (Apples stuffed with pumpkin and topped with granola). This recipe makes four baked apples. These are a perfect dessert, or a side dish. 

For this recipe, you will need:

1 packet of Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal

1.25 ounces of almonds, crushed

2 TBSP of Butter

2 cups of pureed pumpkin

1 TSP Cinnamon

2 TBSP Brown sugar or honey

4 Apples

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then, cut the tops off of each apple, just a thin cut.

Next, using a melon baller, scoop out the inside of the apples out. Leave about 1/4" on all sides. Do not scoop all the way down to the bottom, or your filling will leak out while cooking.

If you cut them too thin, it is ok. Just keep in mind that they will likely split in cooking. 

Combine one packet of oatmeal (we prefer Maple and Brown Sugar) and 1.25 ounces of crushed almonds in a backing sheet. Add in 2 TBSP of melted butter and toss it all together. Place this in the preheated oven for 8 minutes.

Remove the granola topping from the oven.

To two cups of pureed pumpkin, add 1/2 TSP of cinnamon, and 2 TBSP of brown sugar (honey may be used as a substitute). Mix thoroughly.

Fill each hollowed apple with the pumpkin filling, leaving about 1/4 inch on the top.

Once the apples are filled, place them on a baking pan. and top with granola topping.

Sprinkle with cinnamon to your liking.

Bake in the oven for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Once they are out, allow them to cool slightly, and serve. They would be great served with homemade whipped topping or ice cream. I hope your family enjoys them as much as ours!