- 6 eggs room temperature
- 1/2 cup maple syrup or honey (or 3-4 teaspoons of monk fruit sweetener).
- 4 Tbsp. avocado oil or butter, melted
- 1/2ย cupย mashed pumpkinย or butternut squash
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder (you can make your own)
How it is done:
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Meanwhile, beat the eggs on high speed for 5 minutes
- Add oil, pumpkin, maple syrup, pumpkin spice, salt, and vanilla extract.
- Add coconut flour with baking powder. Mix with a stand-up mixer until there are no lumps.
- Spread the batter into cute muffin cups.
- Add shredded coconut on top for decoration.
- Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes or a bit longer if needed.
I am not a huge fan of stevia or any other non-nutritional sweeteners. The issue is that no matter if the sweetener has calories or not, our gut lining has the receptors for the sweetness that actually make our bodies believe that there is a high amount of sugar in the food and that our bodies need to make extra insulin to manage this increased blood sugar.
So, I hardly use stevia or monk fruit sweetener. I usually half the amount of sugar called for in the recipe (like half of the maple syrup, plain old’ sugar or honey) and if needed, add something on top of the muffins or my baked goods. For example, I use whipped coconut cream or even some raw honey on top of the muffin.
I also do NOT like adding raw honey to baked goods. What is the point? Honey is not going to be raw anymore! All the healthy enzymes that are present in honey will be destroyed with high heat! Which, basically, turns nutritious honey into a mix of fructose and glucose – i.e. cane sugar!
Yet, I see so many recipes in the paleo blogosphere substituting cheap sugar with expensive raw honey and ruining it with high heat baking or cooking. Do not follow the trends, do your own research and even if the recipe states “paleo” it does not mean it is low sugar or that our ancestors ate like that!
I have yet to read about paleo ancestors griding their own almond flour and baking it into muffins and cakes ๐ I do like baked goods, and there is nothing wrong with indulging in a lower-carb version once in a while. But, at the same time, I do not scream that I am a paleo person. I found my own golden middle for feeling good and keeping my intake of carbs down. NOT because it is trendy, but because I feel the most energy if I do so.
What kind of trends annoys you? I cannot wait to hear and hope I am not alone:)