The Best Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins (gluten, tree nut, soy, corn free, no sugar added, and dairy free option)

Tis the season for all things pumpkin! Pumpkin is one of my all time favorite flavors and scents.  It screams autumn to me and I long for autumn all year long.  The crisp air, and dampness.  The vibrant leaves, and the musty, earthy smells.  It all speaks to my soul.  Naturally, as autumn approaches, pumpkins pop up everywhere, along with the sugary, fake pumpkin items in the store. 

Even before we had to accommodate food allergies or my restrictions with weight loss surgery, I always spent a few weekends stock piling pumpkin, banana and zucchini bread in the freezer so I would have it on hand at a moments notice.  I have had to make a few modifications to my recipe. I use the same basic base for all of my quick bread, and it originated with banana bread which was the very first recipe I ever created 100% on my own.  Don't worry, I will be sharing that as well! This recipe yields a flavorful, moist muffin that satisfies your craving without killing your calorie count for the day.

Lets jump right in shall we??

To start, you will need 1 1/2C gf flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2teaspoon salt, 1/2C Splenda, 1/2C Splenda brown sugar blend, 1 stick butter, 2 eggs, 1 can pure pumpkin, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves and 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg.

 How gorgeous is that pumpkin?!

In the bowl of your mixer, combine both sugars, butter, and pumpkin.  Mix until combined. 

 Then, mix in both eggs.

Finally, add in the flour, spices, soda and salt.  Mix until just combined.  You DONT want to over mix!

You will be left with a fairly thick, delectable batter.

To prevent the muffins from sticking to the papers, I spray them with a little cooking spray before filling.  Fill each paper with your batter.  Since it is thicker, you may want to wet your finger and lightly tap down any lumps and bumps. 

I add a quick oatmeal crumble topping to mine.  To make it, mix together 1/2C old fashioned oats, 2Tablespoons butter, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.  Sprinkle evenly over muffins.

Bake at 350' for 25-30 mins.

Cool, and enjoy!

Little Mister couldn't wait to dig in, and grabbed some off the plate while I was photographing them!

Pumpkin Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

1 1/2C Gluten free flour ( I use Bobs Red Mill Cup for Cup) or use a regular all purpose, though this will change your nutrition stats a little
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2C Splenda
1/2C Splenda Brown Sugar Blend
2 eggs
1/2C butter, softened (to make dairy free, see notes below)
1 15oz can pumpkin puree
1teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Optional Oat Topping

1/2C old fashioned oats
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon


Nutrition Fact Without Topping (with topping listed in parenthesis)
Serving size 1 Muffin

187 calories (222)
9.2g fat (11.4)
22.6g carbs (26)
2.8g fiber (3.7)
10g sugar (10.1)
3g protein (3.6)

*To save extra calories, omit topping and replace butter with 1/2C unsweetened applesauce, and use 1 Cup Splenda, omitting Splenda brown sugar blend

Nutrition facts with the edits above
Serving Size-1 muffin

84 calories
1.5g fat
15.9 carbs
3.1 g fiber
2.9g sugar
2.9g protein