Pumpkin Apricot Muffins

I was in the mood to make something “muffin-y”.  I knew I would be rushed to get out the door this morning to fulfill my church music director duties, so last night, after getting the kids in bed and getting in a good workout, I went to work in my kitchen.  I wasn’t sure what I would be making (had to search the pantry to see what inspired me) but what resulted was this fabulous batch of grain-free, sugar-free, nutritious goodies that were SO easy!  I’m sorry to say I didn’t take any “in the process” pictures… mostly because I didn’t know if I would like how they turned out.  But I did take this picture of the finished product:

Pumpkin Apricot Muffins

In a large bowl, mix together:

1 cup coconut flour

3 tsp aluminum-free baking powder

8 eggs

1 15-oz can pureed pumpkin

1 mashed ripe banana

pinch of salt

several generous dashes of cinnamon (sorry – I hate to measure!)

a couple conservative dashes of ground cloves

After the mixture is well-blended, mix in:

15 dried apricots – diced

Scoop generously (they won’t rise much) into silicone baking cups (more on those later) or a lightly oiled muffin pan and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25 minutes.  Allow to cool for about an hour before removing from the cups and serving.  Mine cooled overnight and were fabulous in the morning.

Makes about 15 muffins.

A couple of words on silicone baking cups:  I love ’em.  Nothing sticks to them and you can wash and reuse again and again.  You don’t need to oil them!  They also work great as little “compartments” in our bento lunches.  Make the investment, knowing they will pay off!

My guinea pigs this morning were fairly enthusiastic.  My almost three-year-old L liked them so much, that following his first bite, we had to have a discussion about how “I know Mater says ‘Holy Shoot!’ but it’s not a nice thing to say, so we’re not going to use those words.”  Thank you, Disney… sigh… At least he liked the muffins.

I brought one to church so my friend Lisa (who has celiac and is the gluten-free queen) could try one.  She recommended I give up music and just “do this” after taking her first bite.  Pretty sure she was kidding…  🙂

So, my experiment was a success!  I hope you like them too.