Monday, February 18, 2013

Squash Nut Muffins (No sugar added)


I don't know what else to call these muffins. They are a riff on morning glory muffins, and I made them because I wanted a satisfying muffin with no added sugar. They have everything in them: squash, nuts, raisins, coconut, bananas and applesauce. And a bunch of other stuff. When I have one, I don't need to eat another thing for a while. They satisfy my sweet tooth even though they are not sweet. I've been noticing: the best thing about changing your sugar habit is that things don't need to be too sweet to calm your sweet tooth anymore.

I used two recipes to guide me in making these muffins. One is from Rebecca at Cakewalk, who made these carrot banana muffins which are very good, and the other was from Paleo Comfort Foods for morning glory muffins, which are also good but I would add the cider vinegar to make them a bit lighter. Do not leave out the vinegar! It activates the baking soda, and you won't taste it. Not only do these muffins have no added sugar, but they are also gluten free. By the by, I've been noticing an uptick in the paleo craze. Is it just me? Maybe I'm noticing it because it creates some interesting ideas in making desserts.

Squash Nut Muffins
(makes 12 muffins)

2 cups of nut meal (I used a blend of almonds, pecans and walnuts blended in my food processor)
2 teaspoons of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 cup raisins or dried currants
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

3 eggs
1 teaspoon of cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup of olive oil or coconut oil
1 cup of squash puree
1 small ripe banana
1/2 cup of applesauce, unsweetened
1-2 tablespoons of honey or brown rice syrup

Preheat oven to 325. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. (I usually don't do this, but for these muffins, I think it's worthwhile.)

Mix together dry ingredients (first five ingredients). Whisk up the eggs with the rest of the ingredients. Add the wet to dry quickly. Fill the muffin liners up to the top--they won't rise too much so they can be quite full. Bake them for 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and the tops have formed a golden shell.

17 comments:

  1. Jules, I'm trying not to make this all about me but -- you wrote me a recipe! And it looks damn good! I can't wait to try these. :-)

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    1. Shae, actually, these ARE all about you! And they are really pretty good, if I don't say so myself. : )

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    2. These look terrific! Wanted to Pin, but system won't let me :( I am happy to print this off to try and thanks so much for posting!

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    3. Thanks, Wendy! Sorry it didn't Pin; I wonder why? I'll look into it, thanks for telling me!

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    4. You are the best. Guess what? I've thawed my pumpkin puree and am going to make these today. Oh! And I was able to pin them with no trouble! :-)

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  2. I've noticed the paleo upswing too. I think some are fed up with sugar- kinda like us. And the more I read across all healthy, traditional diet sources, the more I really agree that the bulk of us don't treat our grains right... That our collective bodies finally sa enough! Really inspires me to either do without grains, or take the time to sprout or soak them!

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    1. Yes, I didn't have time to go into it, but although I really love my wheat, I do agree with you. I've decided to scrutinize my grain intake, too. More studying for me in that one...

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  3. Looks delish, but I want to clarify something before I turn on the oven. In your intro, you said the muffins include banana, but in the recipe, no banana. Did you change your mind about bananas?

    Thanks

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    1. Anon. - Thank you for spotting that omission! There is indeed 1 small ripe banana mashed up with the wet ingredients. I'll amend the recipe later, but I hope I caught this in time for you!

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    2. Damn, in time yes, but today we have no bananas. I will look forward to trying these today, thanks for the quick response.

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    3. You know, I really don't think it will make a difference if you leave it out. The banana I put in was very small. I would maybe add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of applesauce or squash to sub for the banana. Let me know how they come out!

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  4. Oh I can't wait to make these they're exactly what I've been wanting. Thanks Julia, truly terrific timing : )

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    1. Great- Thanks Samantha! Hope they live up to your expectations!

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    2. Hi Julia, I've got a long-winded report-back for ya: I made the muffins in a mini-muffin tray, since I don't have a regular muffin tray (weird, right?). I subbed dried apricot for the raisins/currants and pulsed them roughly chopped in my food processor with almond meal, baking soda & salt. I skipped the coconut and banana, wasn't in the mood, and subbed quince sauce for the apple sauce because that's what I already had open in the fridge. Otherwise I pretty much followed your quantities & ingredients.

      I can only fit one tray at a time in my crappy oven so I had to do it in two batches, after I put the first batch in the oven I realized I'd forgotten to add the vinegar. Sooo for the second batch, instead of adding vinegar I added some overly sour kombucha that I'd let ferment for an extra week. Let me just say, the second back came out way better.

      Thanks for the recipe, I've really enjoyed eating these for breakfast every day - and I totally recommend dried apricot bits in any baked good in place of other dried fruit. Oh and kombucha in place of vinegar, who knew!

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    3. Wow! Thank you for the thorough report!! I actually think mini-muffins are a good way to go; these are so rich that sometimes a big muffin is quite filling. And yes, that's weird you don't have a regular sized muffin tray! ; ) Excellent idea on putting sour kombucha in there. The vinegar is so easy to forget. I may have to make these again with apricots. I have some and have been wondering what to do with them!

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