Welcome To October!
Officially pumpkin season. Pumpkin spice everything! I LOVE IT!
I love the way the cooler crisp air hints that winter is on its way. It is time to put your shorts and tank tops away and pull out your warm sweaters, cozy scarves and your favourite boots you haven’t seen since May. Before winter arrives though, the trees put on a magnificent display of colours before shedding their leaves for the season. Our fall season in Canmore is short. So take a deep breath and take it all in before its gone. It might snow a foot tomorrow. Then fall is over. That is how we roll in the mountains!
Here in the Rocky Mountains, it’s currently Larch Madness! People come from far and wide to hike in our mountains to get a sneak peak at our valleys full of radiant yellow larch trees! It really is quite spectacular.
So to go along with the season, I baked these super easy, one bowl gluten free chocolate pumpkin muffins yesterday.
First thing you need to do though, is go to the store and buy a small-ish pumpkin. You can buy specific “sugar pumpkins” which are smaller, sweeter and less fibrous that a regular pumpkin, but I just buy a regular pumpkin, on the smaller size. I don’t notice any difference in taste.
Cut open that pumpkin, scoop out the seeds (save them and roast them in the oven for a great healthy snack!), coat the pumpkin flesh with a bit of olive oil and bake in the over, flesh side down, for 45min-1 hour at 375°F. The pumpkin should be soft and easily scooped out. Scoop out all flesh and blitz in the blender for a smooth pumpkin puree! I find this MUCH better than canned pumpkin.
You will end up with much more pumpkin puree than you need for this recipe, so you can either freeze it for later, or make pumpkin pie, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies… you get the idea.
In this easy recipe, you just mix the wet ingredients in the bowl first, then add all the dry ingredients on top. Your batter comes together in one bowl and there is less mess!
One Bowl Gluten Free Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins
Wet Ingredients:
- 1 egg
- 1 cup of pumpkin puree (see above how to make this from scratch – or used unsweetened canned pumpkin)
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 cup gluten-free rolled oats, blended into a fine flour
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa or cacao powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 2/3 cup non dairy chocolate chips, divided
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a muffin pan with paper liners.
Add your rolled oats to a high speed blender and blitz them until a fine flour forms. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, add all wet ingredients, mix to combine.
To the same bowl, add all of your dry ingredients (save 1/4 cup of chocolate chips for topping muffins). Stir until everything is well combined.
Spoon batter into muffin liners until 2/3 full. Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips on top.
Bake for 22-25 min, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let muffins cool for 10 min before trying to remove them. I know you want to eat them now, but just wait ok! Don’t burn the roof of your mouth.
Enjoy! They wont last long.
Did you make this recipe? How did you like it? Share in the comments!
