Halloween Muffin Perfection

These scrumptious Pumpkin Spice Muffins are the perfect pumpkin-y treat to enjoy this time of year. They are made with gluten-free flour, real pumpkin and they are refined-sugar free. What more could you ask for?

The full can of pumpkin puree in this recipe makes these muffins incredibly moist and delicious. They’re the kind of muffins where you actually want to eat the entire thing, and not just stop after devouring the cinnamon-sugary muffin top.

These muffins are great for the grown-ups to enjoy while the kiddos devour their hard-earned candy collections from trick-or-treating. They are also great to bring to a Halloween soiree or simply to eat alongside your coffee in the morning! I personally love them paired with a steamy hot almond milk chai tea latte…yum!

Recipe Notes

• I used real eggs in this recipe, but feel free to experiment with replacing them with flax eggs to make this recipe vegan (1:2 tbsp water to ground flax seed ratio)

• Make sure to buy real pumpkin puree (organic if possible), not pumpkin pie filling, which is loaded with other ingredients. You can also use real pumpkin and make your own puree if you have the patience!

• Make sure the wet ingredients are room temperature (mainly the pumpkin) to prevent the melted coconut oil from hardening

• For the cinnamon-sugar topping, using real granulated cane sugar will probably provide the best result. Using monkfruit sweetener will provide a similar result. Using coconut sugar will provide a less sweet and more cinnamon-forward result. (see pictures for comparison between cane sugar and coconut sugar toppings)

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Adapted from Lovely Little Kitchen’s pumpkin muffin recipe

Ingredients

Muffins

• 1 3/4 cup gluten-free flour

• 1 cup monkfruit sweetener (sub organic cane sugar for full-sugar version)

• 1/2 cup coconut sugar

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp pink himalayan sea salt

• 2 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (option to sub nutmeg or extra cinnamon)

• 1/4 tsp ground ginger

• 2 eggs

• 1 15 ounce can pure pumpkin puree (room temperature)

• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cinnamon Sugar Topping (optional)

• 1/3 cup monkfruit sweetener (sub organic cane sugar or coconut sugar for full-sugar version)

• 2 tsp cinnamon and/or pumpkin pie spice

• Optional: add 1-3 tablespoons of melted coconut oil, avocado oil, or melted vegan butter for more of a cinnamon-sugar “crumble” effect

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F

2. Grease a standard sized muffin tin or fill tin with 12 paper liners

3. Add dry ingredients to a medium bowl and mix together until evenly combined

4. In a separate mixing bowl, combine wet ingredients and whisk until smooth

5. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until well-combined

6. Scoop or pour mixture into muffin tins until just below full

7. Spoon cinnamon-sugar topping over the top of each muffin, aiming for even coverage

8. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from center of muffin

9. Option to sprinkle extra cinnamon-sugar over the top when muffins first come out of oven

10. Allow muffins to cool for at least 10 minutes before moving to a plate or cooling rack. Enjoy muffins hot out the oven or after allowing to cool - both ways taste great!