GAPS Diet: Coconut Flour Pumpkin Muffins

There are pros and cons to baking with coconut flour. The pro is that you only need a small quantity per recipe - maybe half a cup. Needless to say, it lasts a long time. The cons are that it tends to clump meaning you'll want to use a mixer to ensure even texture, and that the final product can easily be too dry.

That's why I was excited to find this recipe:

Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin Muffins (made with coconut flour)
Ingredients (Makes one loaf of bread or 8 muffins)

1/2 cup of pumpkin puree*
3/4 cup of honey (or other sweetener; I used maple syrup)
4 eggs
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon of ginger
3/8 cup of coconut flour (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons)
1/2 cup of walnuts (optional)

* Pumpkin Puree

Slice the pumpkin (or other squash) in half (from stem to bottom), take out the seeds (and make toasted seeds).
Roast the pumpkin for about 1 hour (at 350 degrees F), face down, in some water that covers the bottom of the dish. You can also steam the pumpkin. Alternatively, you can dry roast it by wrapping it in foil and placing it in the oven. That would also reduce the moisture in the puree.
Cool the pumpkin, peel the skin off, and puree it in a blender or food processor.

Method

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (I bake at the convection setting).
Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl and then blend in all the wet ingredients. I use a mixer because the coconut flour is a bit challenging to blend by hand.
Fill a bread pan with the batter (5 by 9 inches), or fill about 8 cupcake liners about 2/3 of the way up.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean and the top is browned.

Tweaks: I was generous with the pumpkin puree and I added two tablespoons of coconut oil. Oh, also, I made just 6 muffins instead of spreading the batter out between 8. Since the kids weren't here to eat them, I threw in a handful of Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips. Yay! Dessert-like!

The result: Pure awesomeness!