Pumpkin Muffins (revised)

I love baking at night. Especially now that we finally have some cold weather. It will probably be short-lived, but I am loving it while I can. The best way to warm up a chilly room is to heat up the oven.

I thought to myself tonight, "it's been a while since I've made pumpkin muffins."

And, keeping in the healthier kick I've been trying out, I revised my old recipe.

I also omitted the pumpkin pie spice, because I could really taste the cloves in it. I extracted eugenol from cloves a few years ago in organic chemistry lab, and the smell permeated everything, including my pens and notebooks. I randomly smelled cloves for months afterwards. Since then I've been hyper-sensitive to detecting cloves. Anyway, if you like pumpkin pie spice, go ahead and use it in place of the cinnamon and nutmeg.

I also changed a technique with the flaxseed meal, which really improved the texture of the muffin.

Pumpkin Muffins (revised)

1/4 c. millet flour
1/2 c. + 1 T. brown rice flour
2 T. tapioca starch
1 T. flaxseed meal
3/4 t. xanthan gum
3/4 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/8 t. salt
1/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
3/4 c. pumpkin
1 egg
2 T unsweetened applesauce
1/2 t. vanilla
2 T. warm water
3 T. agave nectar

Mix the flaxseed meal and the water in a bowl, and let it sit while you mix the dry ingredients. Mix the wet ingredients into the flaxseed meal bowl, making sure to beat the egg a bit. Mix the wet into the dry and put into lightly oiled muffin pans. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or so, until a toothpick comes out clean.

I was craving something a little sweeter, and had some cream cheese left over from the macaroni and cheese from dinner, so I made a little cream cheese icing. Serious yummage.