Pumpkin Pecan Muffins (Gluten, Dairy, and Sugar-Free!)

Wow...is all I have to say. I just 'invented' my VERY FIRST recipe and it turned out pretty good on the first try. ;) I took my mom's Spicy Pumpkin Muffin Recipe and compared it to the detox-friendly Gluten Free Banana Nut Muffin Recipe that I got from my sister-in-law. I added a few personal touches and voila! - we now have Pumpkin Pecan Muffins that are gluten, dairy, and sugar-free!

Here's the recipe:

Gluten, Dairy, and Sugar-Free Pumpkin Pecan Muffins

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp Xanthan gum

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 egg, beaten (or flaxseed substitute)

1/2 cup almond milk

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

3 Tbsp honey

1/4 cup oil (OR 1/4 cup applesauce)

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (plus a few to sprinkle on top of muffins)

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 12-hole muffin tin.  To prepare, you can either grease the tin, or line with paper liners.  One easy tip to insure the liners do not remove half the muffin when you take it off is to lightly spray the paper liners with oil (ex. Pam spray or an oil spritzer).

In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients – oat flour, Xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda,  salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.  You want to stir the dry ingredients thoroughly to insure the leavening agents and Xanthan gum are distributed throughout the flour. 

Add the beaten egg, almond milk, pumpkin, and honey, and oil.  Stir by hand until well combined, but do not over mix. Add chopped pecans. Fill muffin tins full. Optional: Sprinkle tops with pecans before baking. You have to gently press the pecans in the tops so they will 'stick'.

Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

ENJOY! They aren't super sweet, but they do taste pumpkin-y and are the perfect healthy treat for Fall! And they passed the 'Isaac taste-test'! ;)