Alisa Fleming ~ What doesn’t go well with peanut? Though I’d never thought to marry pumpkin with this popular legume, I’ve now been convinced that they are soul mates. After all, a popular African stew that I adore, is based upon peanut butter and sweet potatoes. What’s good for sweet potatoes is definitely good for pumpkin! To be fair, these pumpkin peanut muffins are really pumpkin muffins spiked with peanuts, making them adaptable for those who need to be peanut-free, too.
Naturally, if you or a loved one has a peanut allergy, you can omit the peanuts altogether, and simply enjoy a pumpkin muffin, but I’d probably add in 1/2 cup of raisins, cranberries, flaxseeds (yes, they retain their nutrition when baked!) or even hemp seeds (those little nuggets are awesome in muffins).
I’ll be featuring a few baking recipes as we head up to the big holiday because to me, Christmas day is THE baking day. Though I like to bake for others before the holidays, nothing gives me the warm feeling of a holiday like a relaxing day of making cookies and muffins. I think I actually bake more on Christmas day than the rest of December!
Like most of the recipes I create or enjoy, these pumpkin peanut muffins are kid-friendly and a great way to get little ones involved in the kitchen. They can whisk, fold, and even help pour the batter into the tins.
I know that many of you have other dietary needs. Though I haven’t tested these adaptations, I wanted to offer some possible suggestions to help out:
Egg-Free / Vegan? Though I haven’t tested these babies egg-free, I think they should work well. Simply use two egg replacers (such as Ener-G), or, if it were me, I would actually add more pumpkin (about 1/3 to 1/2 cup) or 2 “flax eggs” and increase the baking powder slightly (probably about 1/4 teaspoon). Pumpkin is a natural binder itself, so pumpkin muffins don’t rely quite as heavily on eggs as other recipes.
Gluten-Free? I recommend using the eggs for gluten-free, but you can sub in your favorite all-purpose gluten-free flour blend for both flours. I prefer to skip the xanthan gum and guar gum in moist muffins like these, as they can make them gummy.
More Peanut? Another fun option could be replacing the oil with 1/4 cup peanut butter for infused peanut muffins. Just a thought!
- ¾ cup plain or vanilla non-dairy milk alternative (coconut, soy, almond, rice, etc. – your choice!)
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar (can sub coconut sugar, though it will be a little less sweet)
- 3 tablespoons unsulfured molasses
- 3 tablespoons oil (melted coconut, canola, etc. – your choice!)
- 2 large eggs, divided (see post above for egg-free options)
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup roasted salted peanuts, chopped, divided (see my notes above for other options)
- Preheat your oven to 400°F and coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray (no need to coat if using silicone cups), or line it with muffin papers.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the first six ingredients until well mixed.
- In a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, molasses, oil and one egg until combined. Add the other egg, pumpkin and vanilla, and whisk again until combined.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to wet ingredients, alternating with buttermilk, until just combined, being careful not over mix.
- Stir in ½ cup peanuts.
- Pour batter into prepared muffin pan, filling each one about ¾ full. Sprinkle top of each muffin with remaining ¼ cup chopped peanuts.
- Bake until puffed and golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 minutes.
- Cool muffins in the pan on a wire rack for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Slide a knife around edges of muffins to loosen them from pan if no paper was used. Serve warm or cool; store in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag for up to 4 days.
