Even before the GF days when I saw a muffin in a bakery that screamed HEALTHY I’d keep moving down the pickings. I like muffins that aren’t too sweet, that have a decent crumb and tear and are full of big flavor and hopefully contain some berries or dried fruits and nuts. Do not feed me a muffin that’s a doppelgänger for a paper weight, full of ingredients from the co-ops last bin of leftovers or the latest in health-fad-tastic eating. Just give me something good to eat.
I owe you some gooey good chocolate stuff because I present to you a muffin that is apparently good for you. Starting out, I had no idea this is where it would end up. However it meets my criteria for good muffin-ness. It is light, has good texture and tear and doesn’t crumble apart. It tastes pretty good and the cake is filled with goodies that you have to chew, but not for four hours at a time.
The roasted, salted pumpkin seeds (pepitas) compliment the pumpkin puree but if you don’t want to use the seeds, just leave them out. If you don’t enjoy walnuts, use pecans. GF oat bran (Bob’s Red Mill) is a new-ish product and I’ve found lots of uses for it. It needs to be incorporated sparingly in most baked goods because it can make them more dry than usual. It’s the tiny hint of nutty bran that gives the muffin a nice back note flavor and texture without screaming bran muffin. Don’t be tempted to use more.
Don’t fret, though. If you think I’m losing my gooey chocolate, giant frosting, cakey, cupcake, filled cookies pizzaz, it’s only on vacation. It’ll be back shortly. Stay tuned. In the meantime, make these – you might even not miss a gooey chocolate thing for a few minutes.
We have a new book (September 3, 2013) with tons of new recipes and a few updated versions of recipes you might have seen here. It’s available for preorder and that means you will get it as soon as it is hot off the press. It’s all about baking, and we’ve included a savory chapter (did you faint?). Nosh on This published by The Experiment. You can buy it everywhere it seems, but you can preorder it here.
| Pumpkin Apple Oat Bran Muffins, Gluten Free |
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- 260 grams Canteen Flour Blend (2 cups)
- 40 grams GF oat bran (1/3 cup)
- 100 grams granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground clove
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 160 grams canned pumpkin puree (organic) (3/4 cup)
- 60 grams unsweetened applesauce (organic) (¼ cup)
- 80 grams pureed banana (1 small gnarly banana)
- 2 extra large eggs
- 125 grams canola oil (1/2 cup)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 60 grams dried cranberries (1/2 cup)
- 60 grams finely chopped walnuts (1/2 cup)
- 2 tablespoons GF oat bran
- 2 tablespoons roasted and salted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Place liners in regular size muffin pan(s) (16-20).
- In a large bowl whisk together flour, oat bran, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and baking soda. In a smaller bowl whisk together pumpkin puree, banana puree, eggs, oil, and vanilla extract. Fold into flour mixture until blended. Fold in cranberries and nuts. Scoop into liners about ⅔ full. The batter will be thick. Sprinkle the tops with oat bran and pepitas. Bake 18-22 minutes until a toothpick comes out without crumbs. Cool a minute or two in the pan and then transfer muffins to a rack to cool completely.
