Somewhat homemade muffins!

I made up some amazing and easy muffins today. They would be even more amazing with some cream cheese frosting! They are kind of a cross between carrot cake and banana bread. 

1 box spice cake mix

1/2 cup coconut oil - melted

2 eggs

2 very ripe mashed bananas

3 medium carrots finely shredded

1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut

1/2 cup chopped raw pecans

DIRECTIONS:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Line muffin tins with foil cup liners. (Makes 18).

3) In a large bowl, stir all ingredients together just until combined and the evenly distributed. Don't over mix or they will be come tough.

4) Divide evenly into the 18 muffin cups. I like to use a large cookie scoop.

5) Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Enjoy plain, or like I said, top with cream cheese frosting. So very yummy!

Another Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffin

Why make ANOTHER gluten free pumpkin muffin you ask? Good question! I'm in love with Trader Joes pumpkin pie spice and I wanted to try out the Trader Joes All Purpose Gluten Free Flour. The last pumpkin muffins I made were wonderfully dense and moist. These are equally moist, but the texture is lighter and closer to a gluten FULL muffin. AND this time I added my most favorite of all chocolate chips from Guitard. You could add pecans instead I suppose. It's not chocolate, but it would be tasty too. My hubby reluctantly tried 1/2 of one (he's generally not a big fan of gluten free foods) and then asked if he could have a whole one! They are THAT good.

DRY INGREDIENTS

2 cups Trader Joes AP Gluten Free flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp pumpkin pie spices

1/2 tsp kosher 

WET INGREDIENTS

2 large eggs

1/2 cup brown sugar 

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup Trader Joes Spiced Apple Cider

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup pumpkin purée 

OPTIONAL

1 cup Guitard milk chocolate chips 

OR

3/4 cup chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line your muffin tin with paper/foil liners.

2) In a medium sized bowl whisk the dry ingredients. Set aside. 

3) In a separate bowl whisk all the wet ingredients EXCEPT the pumpkin. 

4) Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until combined. 

5) Add the pumpkin purée and fold in until combined. If using chocolate chips or pecans, fold them in as well.

6) Scoop batter into your prepared muffin pans filling each cup 2/3 full. I like to use an ice cream / cookie scoop. I had enough for 14 muffins. 

7) Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until the muffin passes the toothpick test.

8) After baking, let the muffins sit in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

NOTES: I wouldn't change a thing. Well, maybe a few more chocolate chips! And I'm thinking of using this recipe as a base... subbing apple sauce for the pumpkin, blueberries for the chips, lemon  extract for the vanilla, and leaving out the pie spice to make lemon blueberry muffins. Mmmmm I do love muffins. Can you tell? ;)