Perfect Pumpkin Muffins

These Perfect Pumpkin Muffins are everything I could ever want in a muffin. They’re moist, tender, full of flavor, and actually healthy. This recipe is gluten-free, contains no butter or oil (trust me here!) and is my way of celebrating EIGHT years of blogging.

Lately I’ve been getting really hard on myself. I try not to do it, but when I’m pregnant, the emotions just tend to slam into me. I take myself down first. In the midst of feeling like an utter failure in my life (not making money, my husband constantly wondering why I don’t cook “like I used to,” being too exhausted to hit ten-thousand steps on that stupid FitBit), I realized something…

As of Tuesday, October 10^th, I’ll have been blogging for EIGHT years. Eight.

That number truly astounds me! I’ve never done anything in my life (besides mindlessly attend school) for eight years!

I could easily flush this moment down the toilet with a laundry list of why I’m not proud of where I am, but today, I’m choosing to set all that aside, and give myself a pat on the back.

And honestly, you need one too. Because if you’ve stuck with me through absolutely terrible photos, some crazy diets, my wedding, my first pregnancy, a million oatmeal recipes…you deserve a hand too! Things are crazy here! And I wouldn’t be here without YOU, so most of all I thank you. Truly truly.

With that being said, I think we need a latte and a muffin. Because, honestly, I’m not going to make a cake…even though I had every intention to. So let me tell you about these Perfect Pumpkin Muffins instead, ok?

First of all, Perfect? Yeah, that’s super annoying. BUT I swear to you, these muffins are fluffy, they have the perfect amount of moisture and crumb to them, the sugar topping gives them the right amount of sweetness and texture on top, and the pumpkin spice is BASICALLY the most amazing thing ever. I might maybe definitely said “mmmm” every time I took a bite.

Oh, did I mention it’s a small batch recipe?! Because I get overwhelmed with having an entire batch of muffins on my counter. But just 6 Perfect Pumpkin Muffins? That I can do.

I’ll just quickly mention, these are gluten-free (of course) and actually have no butter in them. None. No oil either. Nope. All of their moisture comes from pumpkin! Soooo they’re practically a vegetable. You could say that if you wanted to.

So pull up a seat (quick, before I eat these all myself) and let’s make a toast. To, Perfect Pumpkin Muffins, eight years to sticking to something I love, and to almost (maybe) hitting ten-thousand steps on that stupid FitBit. Cheers!

Perfect Pumpkin Muffins
Recipe by Melissa @ Treats With a Twist
Yields 6-8 muffins

INGREDIENTS
½ cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
½ cup coconut sugar
2 Tbs. maple syrup
2 eggs
1 ½ tsp. pumpkin spice*
½ cup unsweetened almond milk
½ tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup oat flour
1 cup brown rice flour
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. kosher salt
sparkling sugar, to top (optional)

*or ½ tsp cinnamon + ¼ tsp nutmeg + ¼ tsp allspice and a pinch of cloves

METHOD
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray or coat with melted butter. I used a 6-spot muffin stoneware baker, but a traditional muffin tin works great (you may end up with 8 muffins if you use a standard muffin tin).
In a large bowl or in your mixer, combine the pumpkin puree, coconut sugar and maple syrup, mixing for 1-2 minutes until fully incorporated. Then add the eggs one at a time, mixing them each in completely. Next, add the pumpkin spice, vanilla and milk and carefully stir that in (don’t slosh!).
Finally, add all of the dry ingredients and mix until the batter is uniform.
Spoon the batter into your prepared muffin tin, filling each compartment almost completely to the rim. Sprinkle each muffin with a bit of sparkling sugar.
Bake for 22-30 minutes, checking the muffins with a toothpick. If you use a stoneware baker, your time will be closer to 28 minutes. A traditional tin will take less time.
Let the muffins cool slightly on a wire rack, then turn them out of the tin to cool completely. Enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea!

NOTE
Keep finished muffins on the counter, covered for 24 hours or in the fridge for 5 days.

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