Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins

I much prefer Pumpkin in a cake than in a pie and I wanted to make something Gluten Free, so today I made Pumpkin Muffins. It's based on a recipe from Epicurious and I literally just substitute Bob's Red Mill 1 for 1 Gluten Free Flour for the regular AP Flour. And, I changed the amount of spices as I like Cinnamon more than Nutmeg and Cloves. As with many sweet breads, it is usually better the next day so it will be my dessert after the Thanksgiving meal. I will offer Whipped Cream on the side, but I top these with Candied Walnuts, which is sweet enough for me. They can get very brown in the oven so watch them carefully. They do come out looking a little bumpy and lumpy, but they taste wonderful. If you should choose to make them with regular flour, they will turn out smooth and cupcake like. And, of course, you could also eat them for breakfast. They are full of the traditional Pumpkin Pie Spices and they are delicious!

Pumpkin Spice Muffins with Candied Walnuts

3 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 16-ounce can solid pack Pumpkin

3 cups Gluten Free Flour (I used Bob's Red Mill 1 for 1)

1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground Cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground Nutmeg

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional) glazed with 2 Tablespoons Butter, 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar and ½ teaspoon Cinnamon - cook in a small frying pan until you can smell the fragrance of the nuts and most of the sugar syrup has been absorbed.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Put cupcake liners in muffin pan.  Beat sugar and oil in large bowl to blend. Mix in eggs and pumpkin. Stir together the Gluten Free flour, spices, baking soda, baking powder and salt into another large bowl.

Spoon batter into muffin pans, top with walnuts and bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until the muffins are set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Repeat with remaining batter.

Makes 24 muffins

Five Element Analysis

Pumpkin belongs to the Earth Element and this is a sweet bread, so it is definitely primarily Earthy. The Eggs and Safflower Oil add the Water Element and the Spices contribute a hint of the Metal Element and the Rice Flour in the GF Flour brings in even more. The Fire Element is missing so be sure to serve this with some Tea or Coffee and the Wood Element needs to be found in the meal to create a balance.