“A muffin is just an ugly cupcake.” -Anonymous

Haha! There’s nothing ugly about a muffin…beauty comes from the inside, right? There’s something wonderful about biting into a deliciously delicate healthy little treat. Muffins are sweet, but not too sweet. They’re filling, but not too filling. Muffins are perfect for a busy morning breakfast on the run or an afternoon treat enjoyed with a fresh cup of coffee. Muffins are the perfect “fall food” and what better ingredient to kick start the autumn season than pumpkin! Finding a tasty gluten free, vegan muffin can be a challenge, so give these babies a try!

Today I want to share a recipe for HEALTHY Pumpkin Apple Muffins. I say HEALTHY in all caps, because these are literally the healthiest muffins you will ever eat. EVER. And they’re delicious too!

These muffins are 100% grain free, gluten free, dairy free, soy free and egg free. They’re made with real ingredients, sweetened with organic coconut sugar and a ripe banana. They’re made with organic coconut oil and studded with apple chunks and walnut pieces! And the coolest ingredient of all? Apple flour! Yep, they actually make flour out of apples–just apples! The folks over at http://www.anti-grain.com/ sent me some of their delicious (and nutritious!) flours to sample and I’ve had so much fun experimenting with them! If you’re not lucky enough to get your hands on some apple flour, you can always sub for coconut flour or any favorite gluten free flour.

Apple flour adds a sweetness to the mix, without adding any refined sugar! One of my best friends tried these muffins. She’s what I like to affectionately call a “healthy hater” (always raging on my g.free eats and plants based snacks) but not today. She was in awe of these muffins! She experienced first hand that… “eating healthy makes you happy!”

• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 flax egg (1 tbs. ground flax seed mixed with 3 tbs. water- set aside)
• 2 tbs. coconut oil
• pinch cinnamon
• pinch nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 cup apple flour
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1 chopped apple
• 1/4 cup walnuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease 12 muffin baking pan
2. In a large bowl, mash ripe banana 
3. Mix in flax egg, coconut oil, pumpkin puree, cinnamon and nutmeg- combine ingredients
   
4. Add in apple flour, coconut sugar, baking soda, apple chunks and walnut pieces
5. Mix well to form batter and evenly divide into muffin try (makes 12 muffins)
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until done
7. Let cool… and enjoy!

These muffins are perfect topped with spoonful of almond butter and a side of fresh fruit for breakfast. They also make a perfect little dessert with a scoop of vanilla vegan coconut milk ice cream (like I enjoyed on this past “What I Ate Wednesday” post.) 

I hope that you enjoy these healthy muffins as much as I do! Their sweet autumn taste is just what I’m craving as the weather begins to cool down! 

How about you?! Have you ever tried apple flour? Do you have a favorite recipe for fall?!