We love baked goods as the season changes and the house starts to be in need of some warming. Here are some of our favorite squash muffins— they contain a variety of flours to make them a healthy breakfast— you can experiment with the amounts of non-wheat flours, or substitute anything for wheat or spelt flour if you’d like. The quantity can be halved— this amounts intends that you freeze some for later. ~Rachel
4 cups cooked, mashed butternut or other winter squash (the easiest way to prepare it is to halve squash and scoop out the seeds, Prick all over the skin of the squash with a fork, and place it in a baking pan with about 1/4 inch of water. Bake at 375 degrees for about 1/2 hour or until the squash is completely soft and can easily be scooped from the skin.)
While squash cooks, beat together in a large bowl:
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup light olive oil
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup dark molasses
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
6 eggs
Mix together in a medium bowl:
2 cups unbleached white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oat flour
1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 cup flaxseed meal
1/2 cup wheat bran
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Preheat oven to 350. Add about 1/3 of the dry ingredients, mix, and then add about 1/3 of the squash— alternate until everything’s mixed. Avoid overmixing. If the batter seems thin, you can add some more flour. If it’s too dry, add some applesauce or more squash. It should be scoopable but not pourable.
Mix in 1 cup dried cranberries and 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans if desired.
Scoop into oiled or lined muffin tins— fill so batter fills about 2/3 of each tin. Bake 12-16 minutes for mini-muffins, or 18-25 minutes for regular size. Test by inserting a toothpick in to the middle of a muffin— if no batter sticks, the muffins are done. Let them cool for a few minutes in the pan before removing from tins and
