Recipe: Paleo Pumpkin Muffins with Maple Pecans

Lovelies, it’s October – officially my favorite month of the year!  There are hand-drawn spiderweb pictures on my window, courtesy of my daughter, and I may have even bought miniature pumpkins two weeks ago to decorate (too early?).  Of course all of this excitement was bound to inspire a pumpkin-flavored recipe, so let’s not knock on the inevitable.  I mean, if not in October, then when?

These paleo pumpkin muffins are pretty darn delicious, and good for you, too.  I’m all about whole foods these days, and the muffins have minimal natural sugar and all sorts of yummy protein.  I love having these warmed up as a pre-run snack.  They’re all pumpkin and warm spices and maple pecan goodness.  And sure, if you’re trying to be virtuous you could leave off the maple pecans.  But they’re tasty, and life should be tasty.  So go for it.  Consider it Halloween come early.

Aside from the get-in-my-mouth flavors, these pumpkin muffins are easy to make, too.  The grain-free, dairy-free muffins come together in 5 minutes in the blender, and you can have them on your table less than 30 minutes after that.  If you don’t eat them all in one sitting, you can freeze the extras for an easy weekday morning.  Bring it on, autumn.

Paleo Pumpkin Muffins with Maple Pecans

Inspired by Paleo 5 Minute Muffins

Yields: 12 muffins

Ingredients:

For the muffins:

• 1 1/2 cup pumpkin
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1/2 cup nut butter of your choice (I used peanut butter)
• 2 eggs
• 2 TBSP maple syrup
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves

For the maple pecans:

• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup crushed pecans

 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  While oven is warming, put all muffin ingredients in a blender, and blend until smooth.  The batter will be sticky.
2. Drop muffin batter into lined muffin cups.  Start baking for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, add maple syrup and pecans to a small sauce pot over medium heat.  Stir the mixture to coat the pecans with the syrup, and cook until the maple syrup has thickened (5-8 minutes).
4. When the timer for the muffins goes off, remove muffin tin and drop spoonfuls of maple pecans on top of each muffin. Return muffin trays to oven and bake for 12-15 minutes more (22-25 minutes of overall baking time).  Muffins are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.