08 Nov Pumpkin Banana Muffins

Hearty, nutritious, and aromatic with pumpkin spice!

Muffins are very nearly the perfect food. Great for breakfast, a snack, or even with soup, they’re filling but healthy and you can sneak in all kinds of fruit and vegetables to pack them full of nutrients. These ones have a decidedly fall flavour to them with the addition of pumpkin pie spice blend, which gives off that unmistakable aroma that lets us know autumn is definitely here.

Adapted from this recipe. Makes 15 to 18 muffins.

Ingredients
2 c flour mix, like all-purpose and whole wheat (for gluten-free muffins, try 1 ½ c brown rice flour and ½ c amaranth flour)
½ c brown sugar
1 t baking powder
½ t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1 t pumpkin pie spice (see recipe below)
2 mashed bananas (could be frozen/defrosted)
1 c pumpkin or other squash puree (cut squash in half, bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes or until tender, cool, then scrape out the flesh)
¼ c olive oil or melted butter
2 eggs
1 t vanilla

Directions
Preheat over to 350 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients with a fork. In a separate bowl blend all wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients into the dry. Note that if you are using gluten free flour, over blending isn’t a problem because you can’t overwork the gluten if it’s not there. So I use a hand blender to add more air into the mix.

Pour or spoon into greased or lined muffin cups, and bake at 350 or slightly lower until cooked through, about 30 minutes.

Pumpkin Pie Spice (great for all kinds of baking and also delicious on top of oatmeal!) Recipe from The Rising Spoon.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 pinches ground cardamom

Mix together! Store in an air-tight container for up to one year.