ALMOND MEAL PUMPKIN MUFFINS

For those of you using ground almonds (also called almond meal) instead of flour to make muffins, this recipe makes a nice pumpkin nut muffin.  I used pecans for the nuts and a pumpkin spice mixture that I had on the spice shelf for making pumpkin pies.   When I first started to make muffins with almond meal, I was tempted to increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees F but realized that these muffins need to cook longer than those made with wheat flour.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups ground almonds
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/2 cup splenda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin spice mixture or 1/2 tsp allspice, 1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 can (14 or 15 oz) unsweetened pumpkin puree
1/2 cup sour cream or coconut or almond milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup oil


DIRECTIONS:


Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Grease or line with paper muffin cups enough muffin tins to make 18 muffins.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together, the ground almonds, nuts, flaxseed, splenda, spices and salt.  In a separate mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, eggs, milk and oil.  Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients and combine.  Spoon the batter into the muffins tins filling them to about 3/4 full.

Bake for 45 minutes and test to ensure they are dry by using a toothpick.  Makes about 18 muffins.

Adapted from Wheat Belly diet by Dr. William Davis