Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Peanut-Free, Nut-Free Pumpkin Muffins...for Thanksgiving or the Day After!

I always go a little overboard when purchasing canned pumpkin puree since I love to bake with it this time of year and pretty much only this time of year. If any of you are in the same boat, what do you do with your extra canned pumpkin?

I've got an easy and delish nut-free recipe you might like to try either for Thanksgiving or anytime afterward. Pumpkin lovers won't be disappointed! I got the idea from the pumpkin muffins at Panera--off-limits to my daughter, of course. So why not make our own? You can also bake this recipe in a loaf pan for a moist and delicious pumpkin loaf cake. Be aware that this recipe uses butter and eggs. If you also deal with dairy allergies, you can use your favorite dairy-free banana bread recipe and swap out the bananas for the pumpkin puree.

Nut-Free Pumpkin Muffins
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour (or use all white flour)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or use 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/2 teaspoon ginger) * Note about nutmeg--it is not derived from tree nuts. It is derived from the seed of a fruit
1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (McCormick's or Nielsen-Massey are my fave brands)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
Confectioner's sugar for sprinkling tops, if desired

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin cups or 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pan. In medium bowl combine flour, salt, spices, baking powder and baking soda. In small bowl combine pumpkin puree, milk and vanilla.

2. In a large bowl with mixer at medium speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at time. Reduce speed to low; alternately add flour mixture and pumpkin mixture, ending with flour. Scrape the bowl occasionally with a rubber spatula to ensure even mixing. Beat just until blended; do not over beat.

3. Pour batter into prepared muffin tins or loaf pan. For muffin tins, bake for about 20 minutes and then test with toothpick. You don't want to over bake so a few moist crumbs clinging to the toothpick are fine. For loaf pan, bake about 1 hour and then begin checking. Again, do not over bake.

4. Cool in tins or pan and then turn out onto wire rack. Let cool; then sprinkle with confectioner's sugar, if using. Serve warm.

I hope everyone's Thanksgiving prep is going well! Stay safe, stay cool and most of all, have a happy Thanksgiving!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

My son had a dairy and egg allergy as well as the peanut/tree nuts plus many others. For this recipe, I would replace the milk with rice/soy milk, the butter with either Earth Balance or canola oil, and the 2 eggs:one replaced with an extra 1/2 tsp baking soda and 2 tbsp water and the other with an extra 1/4 cup of pumpkin or applesauce. They sound yummy...love pumpkin anything but pumpkin pie...go figure! susan H. @ the food allergy chronicles

Jenny said...

Thanks for the recipe modification! :)Very helpful.

Renata said...

Thank you for the clarification about nutmeg. I wasn't sure about its safety.

Jenny said...

Here is a link about nutmeg (scroll down the page to see the note about nutmeg). http://www.foodallergy.org/page/tree-nut-allergy
Since nutmeg is a seed, it is possible to be allergic to it but is thought to be safe for tree nut allergy. As always, if you aren't sure about any food, ask your doctor.

Chris V said...

The instructions say add baking powder, but there is none in the ingredient list. Could you please clarify? I'm making these today (hopefully)!

Jenny said...

Hi Chris
Thanks...in 2 years nobody noticed this! :) It is 1 tsp. baking powder mixed in with the dry ingredients. Happy baking!