Completely Healthy Pumpkin Muffins

Mmmmm.... I love pumpkin muffins! But since I'm trying to feed my family more nutritious food, my favorite recipe had to go (too much white flour and sugar!) Luckily, Kimi at Nourishing Gourmet blog (I get sooo many healthy recipes from her blog!) posted this fabulous recipe. I made them yesterday and everyone loved them! They are yummy both with or without the struesel topping. She uses natural sweeteners and the grain is soaked, so I can eat as many as I want :) She uses pastry flour, which would be great, but I didn't have any and my kamut worked just fine! I also just used yogurt instead of the coconut milk tonic.

Spiced Pumpkin (or Squash) Muffins with a Streusel Topping -Makes 12

This recipe is soaked for better nutrition, read about it here and here. But it would be possible to skip that step. I have also included dairy options for those who prefer dairy, otherwise this recipe is dairy free.

1 3/4 cup of whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup of coconut milk tonic (for baked goods, I use the one just mixed with water)
2 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar (or, use 1/2 cup of buttermilk, thinned yogurt, or kefir, in place of the vinegar and coconut milk tonic)
1/3 cup of coconut oil or melted butter
1/3 cup of honey or maple syrup

1 egg
3/4 cup of pumpkin puree or roasted squash
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

Streusel Topping
3 tablespoons of arrowroot powder, white flour, or sprouted flour
3 tablespoons of maple sugar, rapadura, or sucanat
3 tablespoons of cold coconut oil
n1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of salt
1/3 cup of chopped walnuts

1-The night before, in a saucepan, gently melt the coconut oil and the honey together until liquid.

2-In a large bowl, combine the flour, coconut milk, vinegar, and the honey/coconut oil in a bowl, stirring just until combined. Cover and leave out overnight.

3-12-24 hours later, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease with coconut oil 12 muffin tins.

4-In a small bowl combine the streusel ingredients, except for the chopped nuts, and cut in the coconut oil with a fork, until there are no big pieces left. Then stir in the chopped nuts.

5- In a small bowl combine the egg and pumpkin, and add it, with the rest of the ingredients to the bowl. If your house is cold, the coconut oil will have hardened, making the dough a bit stiff, but it will loosen up as you gently fold in the rest of the ingredients.

6-Using a spoon, or an ice cream scoop, evenly distribute the batter between the 12 tins. They should be about 2/3’s full. Sprinkle about a tablespoon of the streusel mixture over the top of each (you will have a bit extra leftover).

7-Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean when poked in the middle. Let rest for ten minutes in tins, then remove from the pans (gentle! they are fragile when hot) and let cool on cooling racks.

Enjoy!