do you know the [pumpkin] muffin man

{image credit: rsedlak}

Fall means pumpkin! Thanks to the wonders of canning, I could be making pumpkin goodies at New Years' or Easter or whenever I jolly well felt like it, but for some reason pumpkin only comes to mind at this time of year. In the same way, I only think of peppermint around Christmas, and asparagus in springtime. Moral? My mind still operates seasonally, despite modern conveniences.

(Besides, asparagus is no good out of season.)

(Did you know that canning was invented during the Napoleonic Wars, as a way to preserve food for French troops? I learned this from An Edible History of Humanity. Extremely interesting, even though the writing isn't stellar.)

Anyway . . . these things are tasty. And that is an unqualified tasty, not a "considering that they're made with coconut flour" tasty. Go ye forth and bake. You might even want to fold in some chocolate chips, which would put a considerable drag on the Health Quotient. As you wish.

If you've never bought coconut flour and are spooked by the initial price, remember that you typically only need 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of the stuff every time you bake with it. So where a pound of whole wheat flour can disappear within weeks, a pound of coconut flour will last for months and months, and is actually perfectly economical. (Just keep the opened bag in your refrigerator or freezer to prevent rancidity.)

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Grain-Free Pumpkin Muffins
(slightly adapted from Well Fed Homestead)

6 large eggs
1/3 cup honey
2/3 cup pureed pumpkin*
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 12-cup muffin pan with muffin liners; lightly spritz the inside of each liner with nonstick cooking spray. (Coconut flour muffins can be sticky little buggers, but this helps a lot.)
2) In blender, process eggs for 15-30 seconds, until uniformly yellow and slightly foamy. Add honey, pumpkin, and melted butter; blend until smooth. Add remaining ingredients; blend until smooth.
3) Divide batter among prepared muffin cups. Bake 15-17 minutes, until tops are no longer sticky. Let cool for 10 minutes in pan, then remove to wire rack to finish cooling.

*Canned is just fine, but if you feel like roasting and pureeing your own, have at it.

Simple Lives Thursday.