Pumpkin Oat Muffins (Wheat-Free, Vegan, No-Sugar-Added)

These nutrient-rich muffins use canned hard-squash puree (pumpkin or butternut squash), oats ground into "flour", dates, birch xylitol sweetener (40% less sugar than table sugar/sucrose) & your choice of nuts or seeds for the fat source. The bright orange color of pumpkin and butternut squash are dead giveaways that they both are packed with beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant in the plant carotenoid family that converts to Vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A is especially important for eye and immune system health. The oats and seeds in this recipe also make these muffins a good source of soluble and insoluble fiber, which support gut and immune health. If you can't have gluten or gluten-like proteins from grains, check my blog for my grain-free banana blueberry muffins.

I highly recommend using organic butternut squash puree for this recipe as an alternative to pumpkin. Butternut squash has a brighter, lighter color, is sweeter & less bitter than pumpkin. It has less fiber as well, so the muffins made with butternut squash are light in texture and vibrant in color.

Instead of processed oil, this recipe uses a whole-food source of fat from cashews (seeds) or walnuts (tree nuts). Instead of eggs, ground flaxseed + water is used to thicken & stabilize the batter as well as provide whole-food nutrition. Flax is a great source of fiber, protein (amino acids), omega-3 fatty-acids & vitamins/minerals. Top the batter with organic chia seeds and pumpkin seeds for extra texture, nutrition and eye-appeal! Dates provide whole-food, low-glycemic sweetness, nutrients and texture.

Blender/Food Processor Ingredients

3/4 cup canned pumpkin or butternut squash puree* (BPA-free)

1 cup filtered or distilled water

3/4 cup soaked/softened cashews* or walnuts*

2 flaxseed "eggs" (2 TB ground flaxseed + 1/4 cup filtered or distilled water)

3 softened/soaked dried dates*

2 TB apple cider vinegar*

2 tsp vanilla extract*

Dry Ingredients

2 cups oat flour*

1/2 cups birch xylitol* sweetener

1.5 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt (I like pink Himalayan)

1/4 tsp cinnamon*, ground

1/4 tsp ginger,*, ground

2-4 dashes cloves*, ground

2-4 dashes nutmeg*, ground

Optional Toppings

pumpkin seeds* ( I like raw, toasted or sea salted sprouted)

chia seeds*

&/or

dried persimmon, cut into small pieces

* Note: denotes "organic".

I recommend using organic ingredients when possible to avoid toxic pesticides and harmful processing aids/chemicals.

Yield = 12 muffins

Instructions

1) Adjust oven rack to middle/lower position & preheat oven to 350F

2) Prepare flax "egg" by whisking ground flax + filtered or distilled water in a small bowl. Allow to thicken for ~ 10 min while you prepare the rest of the recipe.

3) In 2 separate bowls, soak cashews/walnuts & dates in hot, filtered or distilled water for ~ 10 min to soften & clean

4) Put dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, whisk and set aside

5) Drain the soaking water (water a plant) for the nuts/seeds/dates & place the blender/wet ingredients in the high-power blender (VitaMix or comparable) or food processor & blend on high-speed for about 1 min.

6) Add blended ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients and mix with a silicone spatula or spoon until homogeneous.

7) Spray organic olive oil or cooking spray of your choice into unbleached parchment baking cups (I like "If You Care" brand) & place in a 12-count metal muffin tray. I spray only the bottom of the muffin cup and use my finger to spread the oil evenly along the bottom of the cup.

8) Evenly distribute the batter into the muffin cups and top with chia/pumpkin seeds &/or dried persimmon pieces.

9) Bake @ 350F for about 28 min. Muffins will not brown much since these are no-sugar-added. Toothpick should come out without any batter once muffins are done.

10) Cool on a rack and enjoy!

11) Store in a glass container or freezer-storage bag in the freezer for ready-to-eat, nutritious muffins on-the-go or on-demand! Simply thaw or microwave for a few seconds.