Butternut Squash Muffins with Buttercream Frosting

As you probably know, I am always about those seasonal vegetables. I love finding new recipes to use up all the fresh produce that can be bought for a very cheap price right now. These butternut squash muffins are just one of the many squash recipes I have tried over the past month. And they are simply incredible.

They are not overly sweet, so they don’t feel that heavy. I use plenty of fall spices to give them that wonderful warm aroma. The muffins are very moist on the inside which makes them a perfect snack or even breakfast. I usually eat them with a cup of warm milk or some hot cocoa, and I really feel like I’m in heaven. My family eats them obsessively and they rarely last for more than two days!

The muffins are perfect already as they are but since I wanted to bring them to my son’s school Halloween party, I decided to jazz them up a bit. What I did was I put some of my own homemade buttercream on top and sprinkled them with some finely chopped almonds. The results was beyond my own expectations. The muffins looked very cupcake-like and tasted like the essence of all fall flavors at once without being overly sweet or unhealthy! The sweetness comes from the squash and a little bit of raw honey so all natural sources. Almond flour and coconut flour makes them completely grain-free so they are easy on the stomach. I highly recommend you give them a try at least just once.

Butternut Squash Muffins:

Necessary equipment:

• a large mixing bowl
• an immersion blender
• a wooden spoon
• a muffin pan
• muffin paper liners

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of almond flour
• 3 T. of coconut flour
• 1/4 cup of softened butter OR coconut oil
• 6 eggs
• 1 1/2 cup of butternut squash puree
• 1/3 cup of raw honey
• 2 inches of grated ginger root
• 2 t. of powdered cinnamon
• 1 t. of vanilla extract
• 1 t. of sea salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine the coconut flour, eggs, softened butter, and grated ginger root in a large mixing bowl.
3. Mix with an immersion blender until the mixture is completely smooth.
4. Add in the almond flour, butternut squash puree, honey, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and sea salt. Stir them in carefully using a wooden spoon. Be careful not to over stir.
5. Prepare your muffin pan by buttering it up thoroughly. Lien the pan muffin paper liners.
6. Scoop the batter into the muffin liners to about 2/3 of the height.
7. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. You will know the muffins are ready when the middle is set.
8. Take out of the oven and leave to cool without taking them out of the pan.
9. Once cooled, gently remove the muffins from the pan by grabbing the paper liners.

Cardamom Buttercream:

Necessary equipment:

• a medium mixing bowl
• a hand mixer
• a wooden spoon

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) of softened butter OR palm shortening
• 1/4 cup of finely chopped almonds (how to soak and dehydrate nuts)
• 1/3 cup of raw honey
• 1 t. of powdered cinnamon
• 1 t. of cardamom
• 1/2 t. of vanilla extract
• a pinch of nutmeg

Instructions:

1. Combine the butter with honey in a medium mixing bowl using a hand mixer. Keep whipping until the mixture turns fluffy.
2. Add in the cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla extract, and nutmeg. Stir to combine.
3. Optional: to make the buttercream more fluffy when put on top of the muffins, put the mixing bowl in a fridge for about 30 minutes than mix once more on high speed.
4. Frost the muffins with the buttercream and sprinkle with chopped almonds.