Crowd-pleasing Pumpkin Muffins

Normally, I get these puppies made as soon as all the pumpkin spiced… well, everything, hits the market.  I’ve made these milk, egg, and nut free pumpkin muffins for several years now and they are always a hit with my non-food allergic nieces and nephews.  That’s my litmus test, if you will.  If kids without allergies love it, it’s must be good!  My recipe is adapted from a pumpkin bread recipe of Alton Brown’s.  I made mini-muffins instead of bread because they are easier to serve to a crowd and a great bite-sized snack for kids.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 & 1/2 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1& 1/2 tbsp Ener-G egg replacer plus 6 tbsp warm water mixed until blended and frothy (=substitute for 3 large eggs)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • one 15 oz can of pumpkin

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325F and spray each section of your mini-muffin pan with oil. Sift the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in one bowl.  I don’t own a sifter, so I just use a fork to get the lumps out.  In a separate bowl, mix sugar, vegetable oil, vanilla, and blended egg replacement together.  Combine both mixtures, then fold in the can of pumpkin until uniformly mixed.  Spoon a heaping teaspoonful into each portion of the mini-muffin pan.  Bake for 15-17 mins, or until toothpick comes out clean, then invert pan and plop onto a clean dish towel to allow to cool while you bake the next batch.  Makes about 48 mini-muffins.

Enjoy!

pumpkin-muffin

Back to School “Safe Snack List” for Teachers

Every year, I update this list of snacks that are safe for us and provide a copy to my kiddo’s teachers.  This year, I’m sharing it here too.  ***Remember, always be sure to do your own homework and ***always read every label to make sure these snacks are safe for you.

OK Candy
Smarties
Starburst
Skittles
Gimbal’s brand jelly beans
Dum-dums lollipops
Lifesavers, hard candy, gummies
Laffy Taffy (certain sizes only, read label)
Twizzlers (original strawberry)
Sour Patch Kids
Surf Sweets
Trolli gummy worms
Swedish Fish
Airheads
Saf-T-Pops
Peeps  (certain varieties only, read label)

OK Snacks/Treats
Any fruit or vegetable
Tostitos tortilla chips (plain)
Lays potato chips (plain or barbecue; if barbecue check for milk on label)
Pringles Original (plain)
Orville Redenbachers Naturals, “Simply Salted” microwave popcorn
Skinny Pop popcorn, original
Fritos (plain)
Rold Gold brand pretzels (plain)
Betty Crocker or Keebler Fruit Snacks or fruit rollups, Gushers
Keebler Graham Crackers
Teddy Grahams: chocolate, honey, or cinnamon
Oreo’s- original and double stuffed only
Marshmallows-Kraft or Publix brand
Enjoy Life brand chocolate chips, snack bars, or anything else (whole line is top 8 free)
Ice Pops (read label)
Tofutti vanilla or chocolate ice cream
Tofutti Cuties ice cream sandwiches
So Delicious vanilla, chocolate, chocolate obsession, cookie avalanche *soy* ice cream
So Delicious Minis *soy* (ice cream sandwiches)

Drinks
Juice, Gatorade, Powerade, soda, soymilk

OK Breakfast Foods
Cheerios (plain)
Chex (wheat, corn, or rice)
Cocoa Puffs
Rice Crispies, Cocoa Crispies
Pebbles (cocoa or fruity)
Apple Jacks
Fruit Loops
Cookie Crisp
Lucky Charms
Corn Pops
Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Frosted Mini Wheats
Pop Tarts (frosted strawberry or frosted brown sugar & cinnamon)