Little Pumpkins

Gluten-dairy-egg-soy-nut-free mini muffins 

Rich tasting, lightly sweet, spiced mini muffins with a dense, near custard-like texture and a tiny cranberry jewel sitting on top. Serve them with a warm latte for a mid-morning snack or with ginger tea for a pick-me-up in the afternoon. Enjoy!

1 c. pureed pumpkin (canned is fine; I used mashed roasted pumpkin that I prepared)

Egg replacer (prepared according to package directions) to equal 1 egg

¼ t. mace (you could sub cinnamon here if you do not care for the rather strong flavor of mace)

¼ t. salt

2 T. very light olive oil

¼ c. firmly packed light brown sugar

½ c. white rice flour

¼ c. sorghum flour

2 T. potato starch

2 t. baking powder

Juice from ½ lemon plus rice milk (or other plant milk) to equal ½ c.

24 dried cranberries

Prepare a mini muffin pan (24 sections) by lightly greasing sections. Preheat oven to 350.

In a small mixing bowl, combine flours, starch, and baking powder. Stir with a whisk until blended. Set aside.

In a ½ cup measure, squeeze the juice from one-half a lemon, then fill cup with enough plant milk to equal ½ cup total liquid. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, egg replacer, mace, salt, olive oil, and brown sugar. Stir until well-combined. Add milk mixture and stir. Add dry ingredients, stirring just until all dry ingredients are incorporated.

Spoon approximately 1 tablespoon of batter into each section of the muffin tin. Top each muffin with a dried cranberry. Bake for approximately 10 minutes, or until tops appear dry and spring back when lightly touched (be careful to avoid a burn!).  Allow to cool for a few minutes before removing to serving platter. Serve warm and freeze leftovers (tightly wrapped!) for up to 1 month.