The Perfect Pumpkin Muffins (GF/V)

adapted from Rainbow Nourishment's already fabulous recipe, these perfectly plump fluffy muffins were a hit with Imagine Cincinnati's "Care-Free Fridays" Family Playgroup today! I'll be writing more on my time there in a separate blog post, but wanted to get this out now since the recipe was so heavily requested!

Ingredients

Wet ingredients for pumpkin muffins

• 15 ounces pumpkin puree, canned or homemade

• 1 cup packed light brown sugar, cane sugar or coconut sugar

• ½ cup neutral oil (I prefer grapeseed oil)

• ¾ cup dairy-free milk (I used Planet Oat Oatmilk)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

Dry ingredients for pumpkin muffins

• 3 cups gluten-free flour (I use Pamela's)

• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, (note 1 for homemade blend)

• 1 Tablespoon baking powder

• ¼ teaspoon baking soda

• Pinch of salt, optional

Crumb topping (optional)

• ½ cup gluten-free flour (I use Pamela's)

• ¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds and/or oats

• 3 Tablespoons vegan butter (I use Country Crock)

• 2 Tablespoons packed brown sugar, cane sugar or coconut sugar

• ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350°F. Prepare a 12-cup muffin pan with liners or butter.

Preparing the pumpkin muffins:

• Add the wet ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk until combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet batter and mix until there are no big lumps. Make sure you don't overmix the batter.

• Use an ice cream scoop or a spoon to divide the batter in your muffin pan. The batter should fill each cup almost entirely.

To make the crumb topping (optional):

• Add all ingredients for your crumb topping to a mixing bowl (use the same bowl that you used for your batter to minimize dirty dishes). Mix with a spoon or your fingertips until combined and the mixture is flaky and crumbly.

• Generously sprinkle the crumb topping onto your muffins.

Baking and storing the muffins:

• Bake the muffins for 25-28 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick in a muffin and it comes out completely clean.

• Allow the muffins to cool in the muffin pan for 10 minutes (or until they aren't too hot to handle). Remove the muffins and allow them to cool on a wire rack.

• Enjoy the muffins warm or at room temperature. They're perfect by themselves or with some vegan butter.

• Store leftover muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days, in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. If the crumb topping softens, you can reheat the muffins in the oven for 10 minutes at 320°F or until heated through.

Notes

1. For homemade pumpkin spice, use 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, and (optional) ½ teaspoon ground cloves.