Autumn Muffins (grain- and dairy-free)

I can deal with dietary restrictions; I've had them most of my life. I can walk past whole stores and grocery aisles without a quiver of regret or longing. What sneaks up on me sometimes is a craving for a certain mouthfeel - malted milkshake, for example, or cakey brownie. Being dairy- and grain-free makes it a bit hard to cater to those whims without causing serious and lasting ill-effects that totally negate the pleasure of the indulgence. (The next time someone asks me if I can't just "lighten up" and have something "just this once" I'm going to give them a details run-down of why, no, I can't. Those of you reading this now have fair warning!)

Last week I finally took the plunge and invested a huge sum to buy one kilo of coconut flour. Considering that this is a by-product of coconut milk production, you'd think they could sell it for a little less, no? Fortunately I don't appear to be the only one who finds the price prohibitive, as most recipes I've encountered use not more than a quarter cup of it at a time.

Continuing through my first butternut squash of the season, I decided to simplify at least one of our weekday mornings and try to satisfy a niggling desire for baked goods in one fell swoop. Standing on the shoulders of this delicious-looking recipe for coconut-flour apple breakfast muffins I would up with a winner perfect for the crisp, foggy mornings of October. In Hallowe'en wrappers they even look the part!

Autumn Muffins

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup pumpkin (or squash or sweet potato) puree
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 2-3 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup coconut oil + 2 Tbsp ghee
• 3 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 apple, peeled and finely chopped
• 1/3 c raisins

Melt the fats.  Mix dry ingredients. Blend eggs and add fats and vanilla to them. Mix dry and wet ingredients well before folding in fruit. If the mixture seems too thick (it's more scoop-and-plop than pour), add a little applesauce or more ghee (or both!) to get the consistency you want. Let that rest a little while you fiddle with separating muffin liners and getting them to sit squarely in your muffin tin. Fill each cup 2/3 full and bake at 160C for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are firm. They are quite springy and moist, so don't let that fool you into letting them burn.

Cool on a rack and store in a sealed container to snack on, or reheat 2 for a quick breakfast.

P.S. When the snow flies I"ll be trying out these almond-flour carrot muffins too!