
I love to transform my favourite recipes into something new. Often, it’s not too far of a stretch to take a solid recipe base and create something different and fresh. Maybe I’m a baking nerd, but I just love the process of calculating measurements, swapping new ingredients for others, figuring out new baking times, and streamlining the method. My goal with recipe writing is to provide as many pertinent details as I can so you feel like I’m in the kitchen with you, but I also try to simplify and condense, too. It gives me great joy to refine and improve a dish and the written recipe itself over multiple trials.
Yup, I’m definitely a baking nerd. There’s no denying it.
My Pumpkin Gingerbread Loaf with Spiced Buttercream is a bit of a legend on this blog. I created the recipe for a blogging competition, Project Food Blog, five years ago (side note: my recipe writing style has clearly changed since then!). Despite being buried in the archives, this loaf has stood the test of time and remains popular during the fall and winter seasons. I’ve had requests for a muffin version – something a bit lighter and more wholesome that could pair with breakfast or an afternoon snack. (Wait a second. The original loaf with frosting doesn’t count as breakfast? I’ve been doing it all wrong.)
Joking aside, it’s a great idea. So maybe it’s a few years late, but I’m not a miracle worker! Ok, maybe I am. I made the original loaf more wholesome by using whole-grain spelt flour rather than all-purpose white flour. Despite using this heavier flour, I was astonished by how light and fluffy the muffins turned out! Spelt flour is incredibly tasty with a lightly sweet and nutty flavour that works so well in a muffin. Actually, I kept saying to Eric that these muffins taste a bit like a spiced bran muffin (in a very good way!). In just 1/4 cup of whole-grain spelt flour you’ll find 4 grams of protein and 4 grams of fibre, too. Look for whole-grain spelt flour in the natural foods or specialty section of grocery stores or you can find it online. Keep in mind that it’s not gluten-free so it won’t work for those with gluten allergies. You’ll also find pumpkin, blackstrap molasses (a great source of iron), pumpkin pie spice, maple syrup, and more. It’s like a big fall hug. Get ready, because your place is going to smell like a gingerbread house. No joke.


Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins

Yield
12 large muffins
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Despite using whole-grain spelt flour, pumpkin purée, and molasses, these muffins rise beautifully and they are so light and fluffy! I think you’re going to love them. They are perfectly spiced (not too strong and not too light) and great for fall and winter baking. You won’t believe how incredible these muffins will make your house smell, too. Throw a batch in the oven before company comes over and your entire place will smell like a gingerbread house! This recipe is adapted from a reader-favourite recipe: my Pumpkin Gingerbread Loaf with Spiced Buttercream.
Ingredients
For the wet ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) chia seeds
- 3 tablespoons (45 mL) water
- 1 cup (240 g) unsweetened pumpkin purée*
- 1/3 cup (80 mL) grapeseed oil or melted coconut oil**
- 3 tablespoons (45 mL) pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup (105 g) packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) blackstrap molasses
For the dry ingredients:
- 1 2/3 cups (260 g) whole-grain spelt flour***
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Heaping 1/2 cup (70 g) toasted chopped walnuts (optional)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a muffin pan with large paper liners. My favourite brand of liners is “If You Care” brand as they never stick!
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the chia seeds and water. Set aside for a few minutes to thicken.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (spelt flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt).
- In the same bowl as the chia mixture, whisk together the wet ingredients (chia mixture, pumpkin purée, oil, maple syrup, brown sugar, and molasses) until smooth.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. No patches of flour should remain. Be sure not to overmix the batter as spelt is a delicate flour. The batter will be quite thick.
- If using, stir in the chopped walnuts. You can also reserve some for garnish on top, like in the photos.
- Divide the batter equally between the 12 muffin liners. They should be about 3/4 full or a bit more. Add any reserved walnuts on top and gently push down (optional).
- Bake the muffins for 20 to 24 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool the muffins in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes, and then transfer each muffin onto a cooling rack until completely cool. Serve with homemade almond milk.
Tip:
- * If your pumpkin purée is a bit grainy, try throwing it into a food processor and processing it until smooth before making this recipe. Or you can beat it with electric beaters. This will simply prevent clumps in the dough.
- ** If using melted coconut oil, make sure that the rest of the wet ingredients are all at room temperature (do not use refrigerated pumpkin, maple syrup, etc. as they will harden the coconut oil).
- *** I haven't tried these muffins with any other flour, but I expect that regular all-purpose flour will work (like in the loaf recipe).
- Make it nut-free: Simply omit the walnuts.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
Photography credit: Ashley McLaughlin Photography
I have loved making your loaf over the years. No one can believe it is dairy free!
Thank you for turning them into muffins, Can’t wait to try these.
So happy to hear that! Hope you enjoy the muffins. :)
These muffins look so good! I am so happy that you have more time to blog again – I missed you!! :)
Thank you Heidi, I appreciate that! It’s great to be getting into a groove again.
I have been looking for a new baking recipe for a while now and I think I have found one. These look and sound delicious, also perfect for this time of year. Definitely going to attempt to bake these.
Beth x
www.hellobeth.co.uk
Oh boy! :D I absolutely love this idea. I gotta try them very soon. :) Bookmarked! Thank you!
Once again, you prove that vegan living isn’t that difficult (even cooking!!) and open so many doors for people who want vegan recipes. It’s nice to see you posting more frequently, all the more to make I say. Although I confess, I would LOVE you standing over my shoulder coaching me how to cook. My husband is big into coaching (sports, volleyball and basketball) so coaching is big for us here. But I’d love your feedback, Ha. I’m sure you’d be super kind to me in my mistakes =)
Laura, that sounds like so much fun!! I’m sure the learning experience would be mutual. ;)
I can definitely attest to your pumpkin loaf being AMAZING and totally remember waaayyyy back when you made it for our vegan Thanksgiving get-together! Doesn’t Project Food Blog feel like it was ages ago?! I’m super excited to try these muffins because there is NO such thing as too much pumpkin or gingerbread!
Being a teenage girl in my last year of high school makes it sometimes really hard to find wholesome and quick on-the-go vegan/plant-based snacks and breakfasts! Thank you so much! You are by far my fave blogger and I’m so happy you’re going to blog regularly again! You rock and keep being awesome ;)
– Gaby
PS: This week, as are many of my weeks tbh, has been very OSG-centered haha! I made the Nutella, the hummus from the OSG cookbook, the spiced red lentil and kale soup from the book, the banana bread muffin tops (holy guacamole they were delish) AAAAAND voo has been on regular rotation too! Your recipes and blog posts just make me so happy! Simple as that.
Well now I’m torn… do I make the legendary bread, or the muffins? Both. I will make both. Gorgeous pics Angela!!
Wow, Angela, I love these. I think I can almost smell them all the way over to Germany.
Thanks for the recipe!
xx Lynn
Oh my…..these are delicious! This seems like the perfect snack to make for vegans and non-vegans alike! Gingerbread is the best, hands down.
I have a question Angela…I think I read once that your husband has cut down is meat consumption by about 75%; so he still eats meat? How does that work at home with cooking, purchasing, etc.? My boyfriend and I have been discussing that lately and I had never really thought about it.
Thanks for all the yummy recipes :)
These muffins sound DELICIOUS – a perfect combo of my two favorite flavors! Can’t wait to try! :)
Dani | www.styledvariety.com
The muffins look so yummy! I love all things spices so this is right up my alley! :)
I’m a total baking nerd too, so I feel ya. Annnnnd thanks to your experimenting I will absolutely be making these muffins! Yum!
Katrina, as soon as I saw the name of your web site, I wanted to see more, so I clicked over, but sadly, I got an error message saying it isn’t available. A temporary glitch, I hope, because I’d love to take a look!
Hey! What would we do without a baking nerd as awesome as you?!? Thanks for this recipe, I have been wanting to make some healthy muffins for breakfast that will last me at least some days… So happy you used molasses, I will definitely try this :D
I couldn’t find chia seeds today, can I substitute a flax egg?
Hi Katie, I haven’t tried it yet but I can’t see why not.
I ended up just deciding try, and it worked great. Thought I would reply in case anyone else was wondering. I’m making a second batch tomorrow we loved them so much!
awesome!! thanks for reporting back :)
Dang it Angela! I literally just made your Banana pumpkin bread (non vegan from 2009?) and you plop this recipe into my lap. Guess I’ll have to eat the bread fast to try this one out
I am at work drooling over these. I can’t wait to get home and make them! I am so happy that you are back posting recipes. No other blogger inspires me to cook and bake quite as much as your recipes do! :)
Oh my goodness. If I had pumpkin in the house I’d hop up right now and bake these. I do have a red kuri squash I need to roast today. I wonder how that would work (pureed of course) in place of the pumpkin.
I cannot wait to try these. I make your loaf often, but I make it into mini muffins and add the frosting on top. I have made the loaf into muffins with sprouted spelt flour and they come out great. I get sooooo many compliments on them. I think with these I will sub coconut sugar for the brown sugar to see if I can get the sugar content down a little for my husband. I will let you know how that works.
Hey Charlene – have you tried it yet? I’m dying to know if it worked out :)
I made your loaf for Thanksgiving this year and every single person raved about it and several asked for the recipe!! Can’t wait to try these muffins — although that buttercream is totally “weak in the knees” good, so I’m not sure I can go without!!