Welcome to an extra sweet Feed Your Body Friday!

These muffins are delicious - all thanks to pumpkin puree! I am a huge fan of this ingredient for desserts because it brings a soft texture and its taste is neutral! You can find it easily at the grocery store in the section of products for baking desserts. Just be careful to choose the pure pumpkin puree and not the pumpkin pie filling.

The recipe uses 1 cup of pumpkin puree. If you use canned puree, you’ll have more than one cup at your disposal, so you’ll be able to try other pumpkin recipes! You could make a pie or even a pumpkin soup. In any case, pumpkin puree freezes very well so don’t throw away the extra - keep the leftovers in your freezer.

To all those who are afraid of pumpkin puree, I would make you try these muffins with your eyes closed because I promise you won’t even know it’s there. In addition, with cinnamon, nutmeg and the rest of the sweetness in this recipe, the pumpkin puree is the last thing you’ll have on your mind. And, when you eat them when they’re still hot with a bit of butter, it’s a moment of pure pleasure!

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Yields: 12 muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup oat flakes (old-fashioned oats)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 cup pumpkin puree (homemade or store bought)
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1.2 cup coconut oil,
• 1 tsp. vanilla essence
• 2 eggs
• Pumpkin seeds to garnish
• Oatmeal to garnish

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a regular muffin pan with cooking spray or use silicone or paper muffin cups.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and ground cloves.
3. Add pumpkin puree, maple syrup, coconut oil, eggs, and vanilla essence. Stir until just combined by scraping the bottom of the bowl to ensure that the eggs have been incorporated properly.
4. Divide the mix into the prepared muffin cups, filling them to about 2/3 full. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and oatmeal. Bake and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Keep the muffins in the fridge for about 1 week or for several months in the freezer!

These beautiful pumpkin oat muffins will only take literally 15 minutes of your time to prepare! You can freeze them if you are afraid of having them for an eternity, but I doubt they’ll last that long! You will see they make great snacks and great desserts. They are divine, soft to perfection, and don’t contain an overdose of sugar. Enjoy!