These are the muffins my children ask for every October. They are not overly sweet, they are packed with real pumpkin (squash, or sweet potato also do the job really well), and if I didn’t keep tabs on how much the boys consume, the whole batch would disappear before it has cooled down. We make them together every autumn, and by now the children can do most of it themselves.
The recipe is gluten-free, uses whole oats, and relies on just a drizzle of honey rather than refined sugar. The seasonal spices make the kitchen smell like autumn. And if your children want them more indulgent, a handful of dark chocolate chips fixes that.
Why these muffins work for gluten-free families
My first was a picky eater, and feeding him used to be incredibly stressful. So I had to get creative in the kitchen. I developed this recipe because I wanted something easy and healthy he could eat freely without me worrying about what was in it and its sugar content. The base is roasted pumpkin, butternut squash or sweet potato, all of which are naturally sweet, low glycemic and full of fibre and rich in vitamins. The gluten-free oats add substance and improve the texture of the muffins. Cooled oats retain their prebiotic profile because their primary soluble fiber, beta-glucan, survives the cooking process and reaches the colon intact to feed beneficial gut bacteria.
The spices do the heavy lifting on flavour. And because there is only a small amount of honey, these are muffins you can hand out without the sugar crash that follows most Halloween baking.
They also happen to be the kind of recipe where small hands can do almost everything: measuring, stirring, spooning the batter into cases, sprinkling the chocolate chips on top. The batter is forgiving. Crucially, nothing needs to be precise.
Ingredients (makes 12 muffins)
1 medium to large butternut squash, or the equivalent quantity of roasted pumpkin or sweet potato (mashed)
150g gluten-free plain flour
A mug of gluten-free oats (use organic if you can)
1 egg, or 2 if you want to make them more nutritious
1 tablespoon psyllium husk
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons natural yogurt or a splash of vinegar
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil, melted butter, ghee or coconut oil
1 teaspoon cinnamon (or more if you like it, or use a pumpkin spice mix)
A pinch of salt
Optional add-ins (pick one or two, not all at once):
Half a teaspoon ground cardamom
Quarter teaspoon ground cloves or star anise
Dark chocolate chips, a handful per batch
Raisins, a handful per batch
Cocoa powder, if your children insist on chocolate muffins
Nuts of your choice, ground or as nut butter to avoid choking risk in younger children (leave out if bringing into school)
Method
1. Roast the pumpkin or squash. Cut it in half, scoop out the seeds (save them for roasting separately), and roast cut-side down at 180°C for about 40 minutes until completely tender. Scoop out the flesh and mash it. You can also use roasted sweet potatoes.
2. Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, combine the gluten-free flour, oats, psyllium husk, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and salt. The psyllium husk is the secret to binding gluten-free baking. It absorbs moisture and gives the muffins structure that gluten-free flour alone cannot manage.
3. Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the mashed pumpkin, egg, honey, yogurt and oil.
4. Combine. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir until just combined. Do not overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips or cocoa powder if using.
5. Bake. Spoon into a lined muffin tin and bake at 180°C (160°C fan) for 20 to 25 minutes, until risen and firm to the touch. A skewer should come out clean.
6. Cool for a few minutes in the tin, then transfer to a wire rack. They are best eaten warm, but they keep well in an airtight container for two to three days.
Notes
On the flour: I use regular gluten-free plain flour from FREE with bicarbonate of soda and yogurt, which acts as a raising agent. I tried gluten-free self-raising flour and found the results less reliable.
On the sweetness: These are deliberately not very sweet. Two tablespoons of honey is enough to make them pleasant without tipping into cake territory. If your children have a sweeter tooth, you can add another tablespoon or sweeten to taste, but I would suggest trying them as they are first if reducing sugar intake is something you want to try.
On the chocolate chips: Dark chocolate chips turn these into something closer to a treat. Without them, they work as a breakfast muffin or a lunchbox snack. Both versions disappear equally fast in our house.
On the squash: Butternut squash and sweet potato both work as well as pumpkin. Sweet potato makes them slightly denser and sweeter. Butternut squash is closest to pumpkin in texture. Use whatever you have or whatever is cheapest at the time.
A half-term project, not just a recipe
If you are carving a pumpkin this half term, roast the seeds as a snack and bake these muffins with a butternut squash or sweet potato from the kitchen. Or pick up a smaller cooking pumpkin alongside your carving one and use that for the batter. Two activities, one afternoon, and your children get to make something with their hands at every stage.
