All Natural Pumpkin Cupcakes

30 Oct All Natural Pumpkin Cupcakes

If you’re a fan of pumpkin but not so much a fan of difficult recipes, you’ll love these cupcakes.  I’m almost embarrassed to admit how easy these are.  Almost.  All I did was make Simple Mills Pumpkin Muffin and Bread Almond Flour Mix according to the package directions.  Then I topped these deliciously moist cupcakes with a cloud of Simple Mills frosting whipped with a dollop of pure canned pumpkin and a sprinkle of Unreal Candy.  Yum.  And soooo easy!

FYI, Simple Mills baking mixes are gluten free and made of nutritious almond flour and coconut sugar in place of white flour and sugar.  Even their frosting (comes in a tub) is all natural and only contains a handful of real food ingredients.  And UnReal Candy is gluten and GMO free (unlike most candy!) Find these in the baking aisle at your local market or check out their website online to see where you can buy them near you.  And let’s be honest- cupcakes are dessert.  But these cupcakes are all natural, gluten free and you’ll feel less of that awful blood sugar spike. Plus they don’t contain all of the artificial dyes and crap that is in most baking mixes and frosting.  I’m in.

All Natural Pumpkin Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

• all natural cooking spray and/or 12 cupcake paper liners
• 1 boxes of Simple Mills Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffin or Bread Mix
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup water
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted, vegan butter or real butter, melted
• 1 tub of Simple Mills Vanilla Frosting
• 1/2 cup of pure canned pumpkin
• UnReal Dark or Milk Chocolate Gems (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray muffin tin with cooking spray (or you can coat with coconut oil) or use the cupcake paper liners (it’s not a bad idea to spray the inside of these with all natural cooking spray.)
2. Make the cakes according to the package instructions, except use coconut oil in place of the oil / fat they recommend. Bake 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cupcakes comes out clean.
3. In a small bowl, beat Simple Mills frosting with 1/2 cup of pure canned pumpkin with an electric mixer until light and smooth.
4. Once cupcakes are completely cooled, frost and top with candy. I spooned the frosting into a ziplock bag, cut a corner of the bag off and piped the frosting on to the cupcakes to get some height.  Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

SO, WHAT’S THE NUTRITION BALANCE?

This recipe is mostly carbohydrates and fat.  There are a few ways to indulge in dessert while keeping your waist line in check: have a light dinner of lean protein like grilled chicken or shrimp for example, plus some green veggies (low in carbs.)  Then follow the meal with a cupcake for dessert.  The balance of protein, fat and carbs is a good thing and will prevent blood sugar from spiking!  Serving protein alongside the cupcake will prevent a blood sugar spike and minimize fat storage and cravings later on. Or just have it as it is when you want as a healthy splurge.