In the spirit of “waste not, want not,” here is a recipe that originally came from one of my old cookbooks, but modified significantly to fit my current lifestyle.
Gluten-free baking is a tricky endeavor. I know. Having been diagnosed with more food allergies than I can count on my fingers and toes (plus a friend’s full set of toes) I’ve found it especially hard to get a combination of flours that mimics the taste and texture of wheat flour. And a blend that works for one recipe doesn’t always work in another recipe, so coming up a with a repertoire of recipes can be slow going, with lots of failures between.
But…I recently discovered a homemade gluten-free flour blend that’s worked well in a few recipes, especially this one. If you’ve ever bought gluten-free baked goods you know it can be a gamble. When they’re good, they’re usually ridiculously expensive. The rest of the time, they’re gritty with the texture of cardboard.
Part of being a housewife is being a good manager of supplies, in this case, food. And post-Thanksgiving, it’s just possible you might have some extra squash (or pumpkin or even sweet potato). In my case, I had lots of extra squash last year, as you can see. Even if you didn’t grow any, it’s “in season” and relatively cheap right now.
To preemptively avoid squash fatigue this winter, creativity is a must. Hence, weekly batches and no one’s complaining yet.
They’re very lightly sweetened (you can always add more sweetener) and I think they go well with soup, which is also making frequent menu appearances these days.
Gluten Free Squash Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 1/2 c. pureed squash (or pumpkin)
- 1/4 c. milk (any kind)
- 3 T maple syrup
- 1 c. gluten free flour blend (recipe below)
- 1/2 t. baking soda
- 1/2 t. baking powder
- 3/4 t. cinnamon
- 1/4 t. ginger
- 1/4 c. raisins
- brown sugar/sucanat
Instructions
- Combine egg, squash, milk, and maple syrup, then add in the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Add in optional raisins. Spoon into greased muffin cups and sprinkle brown sugar on top of each muffin. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
Gluten-free flour blend
- 4 parts sorghum1 part tapioca starch1 part arrowroot powder. For this recipe, I mix together 1 c. sorghum flour, 1/4 c. tapioca starch, and 1/4 c. arrowroot powder, then store the remaining flour blend in a small jar.
I too have multiple food allergies, sensitivities and diabetes. Never tried a flour blend like yours, but had sorghum, tapioca, and arrowroot for other uses. The muffins turned out delicious! Love that you included maple syrup instead of sugar, as that’s all I use for sweetener. The texture was wonderfully smooth (the all purpose flour blends tend to be a bit grainy, and sometimes sludgy when they include xanthan gum). These muffins are light, airy, and so flavorful! The flour blend and the recipe are keepers, thanks so much.
Yay! I’m so glad you liked them. I’ve had many of the same sludgy, grainy experiences with gluten-free baking…it’s rough, isn’t it? I like that this recipe is one that I know I can serve gluten-eaters.