I’m so happy to be taking part in this little blogger project, firstly because I love getting together with other food bloggers to create & share recipes and secondly, I simply love a kitchen challenge… and a challenge this surely was.

I am a complete novice when it comes to gluten free baking and have to admit am still not anywhere near an accomplished vegan baker to boot. Still with only a little trepidation and a determined commitment to having some baking fun I embarked on creating a vegan gluten free version of Panera’s Pumpkin Muffin.

I love pumpkin in both sweet and savory dishes and knew with a little experimentation I should be able to come up with a tasty little muffin recipe. And the result is just that; with the addition of maple syrup, orange, chai and vanilla these gluten free pumpkin muffins are fragrant and full of sweet subtle flavor. The dusting of icing sugar and cinnamon add an extra hint of sweetness and yumminess too.

These gluten free pumpkin muffins are relatively quick and simple to prepare and you could even use tinned pumpkin (something we don’t seem to have here in Australia) if you need to save time. However for the very best results use a nice sweet full flavoured pumpkin.

I hope you’ll enjoy these vegan gluten free pumpkin muffins as much as I enjoyed preparing it for you all. Be sure to visit all the Gluten Free Dream Day bloggers to discover more tasty, beautiful and delicious recipes!!

Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins
Preparation time: 40 mins // Makes 12 muffins

• 1 tsp chai seeds
• 9 tsp lukewarm water
• 600g piece of raw pumpkin (to make 1 cup cooked)
• 3-4 tbs maple syrup (to taste)
• 60g dairy-free butter
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbs freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• ½ cup chickpea flour
• ½ cup quiona flakes
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1½ tsp bi-carbonate (baking) soda

for the topping

• 12 raw pecans
• 2 tbs icing (powdered) sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon

To make the chai gel combine the teaspoon of chia seeds with 9 teaspoons of lukewarm water, stir to combine and set aside for 15 minutes. The chai seeds and water will thicken and form a gel/egg like consistency.

Peel and de-seed the pumpkin and dice into pieces. Steam the pumpkin pieces for 5-10 minutes until soft. Mash the cooked pumpkin and stir through maple syrup to taste, set aside.

Pre heat the oven to 180°C and arrange patty cake cups in a 12 hole muffin tray.

Cream the dairy free butter and the brown sugar together in a bowl, adding the vanilla and then the chai gel continue to beat until well combined.

Fold through the cooked pumpkin and orange juice.

Sift the flours and baking soda into the same bowl and gently fold though with the quiona flakes and ground cinnamon. Be careful not over work the mixture and continue to fold only until well combined.

Spoon a heaped tablespoon of the muffin mixture into each patty cake cup, top with a pecan and then place in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until muffins are cooked through (check by inserting a skewer, it should come out clean).

Combine the icing sugar and cinnamon together and set aside.

Arrange the cooked muffins on a cake rack to cool completely before dusting with the mixture of icing sugar and ground cinnamon. Yum!!

Join us on our Gluten-Free Dream Day

by visiting these friends who have created gluten-free versions of Panera Bread Bar goodies. Maybe one day, bakeries around the planet will offer more gluten-free goodies for this growing demographic!

Bagels

Allyson Kramer ~~ Jalapeno Cheddar Bagel

Muffins

Family Fresh Cooking ~~ Wild Blueberry Muffins
Oh She Glows ~~ Apple Crunch Muffins
Multiply Delicious ~~ Chocolate Chip Muffins

Scones

Heather Strang ~~ Orange Scones

Breakfast Sweets

Namely Marly ~~ Caramel Pecan Rolls
Diet Dessert Dogs ~~ Cinnamon Crumb Cake

Souffles

Clean Green Simple ~~ Spinach & Artichoke Souffle

Also, check out some other great Gluten-Free bloggers offering delicious recipes for café-type bread bar items:

Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls at The Sensitive Pantry
Chocolate Chippers at Elana’s Pantry
Dark Chocolate Brownies at The Gluten Free Goddess
Pumpkin Muffins at Better Batter
Carrot Muffins at My Real Food Life
Crusty Rosemary and Kalmata Olive Bread at Gluten Free Girl
Blueberry Scones at Shortbread Bakery
Strawberry Cupcakes at Simply Gluten Free

Right now the only way to try all these gluten-free goodies is to make them yourself. But who knows, maybe someday you’ll be able to pop into a place like Panera and enjoy one right from their menu.