Pumpkin Muffins

My all-time favorite cookbook is a little spiral-bound gem called Just Like Evelyn. It’s the recipe collection for the ASI Children’s Center at Cal Poly, one of the most special places in my world. This recipe is a simple adaptation of their pumpkin bread recipe to make it vegan and gluten-free. Enjoy!

Chef’s note: This recipe makes 2 loaves (12-16 slices per loaf) or 24 muffins. I wouldn’t recommend doubling this recipe, even with a stand mixer.

Allergen Alert: None 🙂

If you don’t need this to be gluten-free, you could substitute 1.75 cups all-purpose flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour (or 2.75 cups all-purpose flour) for the 2.75 cups GF flour, and leave out the xanthan gum entirely.

Shopping List

Fresh Produce

  • None this time.

Spices & Seasonings

  • Salt (iodized table salt, not sea salt)
  • Pumpkin pie spice

Other Groceries

  • GF flour blend (such as my mix)
  • Xanthan gum
  • Baking soda
  • Baking powder
  • Sugar
  • Canola oil
  • 1 can (16 oz.) 100% pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling!)
  • Unsweetened applesauce

Equipment

  • Stand mixer or electric hand mixer and large mixing bowl
  • 2 glass 9×5-inch loaf pans or 2 one-dozen muffin trays with liner papers
  • Oven

Ingredients & Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Mix the wet ingredients.
    • 1.75 cups vegan sugar
    • 2/3 cup canola oil
    • 1 can (16 oz.) pure pumpkin
    • 3 Tbsp. unsweetened applesauce
    • 1.5 teaspoons baking powder

    In the stand mixer or large mixing bowl, blend these ingredients until smooth. Scrape down the sides.

  3. Finish mixing the batter.
    • 1/3 cup water
    • 2.75 cups GF flour blend – add slowly, 1/2 cup at a time
    • 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
    • 1.5 teaspoons baking soda
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1.5 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

    Add the rest of the ingredients, ideally in this order, one at a time while the mixer is running. Mix until smooth and yummy. (Remember, vegan baking means no raw egg, so feel free to nibble away!) Even though it’s vegan and gluten-free, the texture should be like standard muffin batter – too thick to drink through a straw, but thin enough that it drips slowly off the edges of the spoon when you scoop it up.

  4. Grease or line the pan. If making loaves, grease the glass loaf pans with Earth Balance vegan butter or canola oil. If making muffins, I recommend using paper muffin cup liners instead of greasing the pan.
  5. Baking time!
    Divide the batter evenly into the two loaf pans or 24 muffin cups. Bake 45-55 minutes for loaves of pumpkin bread, or 15-19 minutes for muffins, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean and the tops are a golden brown matte finish. (Yes I know, the batter starts out brown, but it shouldn’t be so shiny anymore, and you should be able to see a slightly darker golden medium brown on the tops of the mounds.) For loaves, cool 30 minutes in the pan before removing. For muffins, cool 5-10 minutes in the pan before transferring to cooling racks.

Source

Adapted from the “Pumpkin Bread” recipe, page 41, in Just Like Evelyn: The ASI Children’s Center Recipe & Child Feeding Guidebook, ©2003. Recipes compiled by Evelyn Ruehr, cookbook designed by Marie Curtin as her senior project.