To be honest, this transition from Fall into Winter is one of my least favorite times of the year. I curse being cold, having a cold, I despise the gloomy clouds, cold water and the increased expectations the upcoming holiday season brings. Nevertheless, I count my blessings on a daily basis. I know this too shall pass and its a great season to turn inward, focusing my energy on the simpler things like snuggling with my kids, cooking nourishing soups and building blanket forts. Here is a quick Pumpkin Muffin recipe to share with your loved ones. The sugar content is low, its original form is Vegan, could be modified gluten-free and you could even add some nuts, raisins or cranberries. I wanted to create the “cupcake illusion” so I topped them with a cream cheese frosting, recipe follows original below. These “cupcakes” even had my daughter’s 6 year old classmate asking me for the recipe {ha, ha}.
PUMPKIN MUFFINS
2 cups spelt flour
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup vanilla soy milk or rice milk
1 Tbsp canola oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup pumpkin purée
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a muffin pan with oil or muffin cups and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, stir together with a wire whisk the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a separate, larger bowl, combine the milk, oil, maple syrup and pumpkin.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and combine gently.
- Scoop into muffin pan and bake 20 to 25 minutes {large} or 12-15 minutes {mini} or until golden brown. Insert toothpick and should come out clean.
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Side note: this frosting is so versatile! I use it for carrot cake, zucchini muffins, etc. If your going to frost a full cake then use 3 packages cream cheese and double the other ingredients.
1 {8 oz.} package organic cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup organic butter, room temperature
approximately 6-8 oz. organic powdered sugar {1-2 cups}
1/2 tsp vanilla
- Cream together the cream cheese and butter. Then slowly add the sugar and vanilla until whipped smooth. The sugar is approximate, sorry….I prefer it more “cream cheesy” then “sugary” so you may need to modify to taste.
The recipe was modified from an original found in The Chopra Center Cookbook, written by Deepak Chopra, David Simon and Leanne Backer.
