Last night, I decided to conduct an experiment in baking.

After a great workout at the gym, I was in the mood to indulge my pumpkin craving without blowing my diet. I started to look up Paleo recipes involving pumpkin and came across DOZENS that sounded amazing and easy to make.

The catch?

I didn’t have all of the ingredients.

Rather than trying to find a 24 hour Whole Foods (do those exist?) to stock up on Paleo staples, I decided to modify a recipe I found using what I had on hand. With this recipe as my inspiration, I came up with the following recipe:

Paleo Muffin Recipe

Ingredients –

• 1 can (29 oz) pumpkin puree
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1 cup Truvia granules (technically, this isn’t Paleo, but I didn’t have any more raw honey in the house and wanted to shave off a few calories.)
• 1/3 cup tapioca flour
• 6 large eggs
• 1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut flakes
• 1/3 cup So Delicious French Vanilla Creamer
• 1/4 cup ground flax seed
• 4 tbsp coconut oil
• 4 tbsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp nutmeg
• 2 tbsp allspice
• 2 tbsp baking powder

Cooking Instructions –

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• While the oven warms up, combine ALL ingredients in a large mixing bowl. I’m not good at the precision and artistry of baking, so I rarely “combine dry then wet ingredients” nor do I sift my flours. Somehow, it always comes out fine, even when I just mash it all together willy-nilly. Either I’ve just gotten lucky or all of those extra steps are a load of bullocky.
• In a lined cupcake pan, spoon batter until each is about three-quarters full. I had enough batter to make exactly 24 cupcakes (regular size, not minis) without issue.
• Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until desired doneness. I’m bad and prefer the center of my cupcakes a little gooey, so I pulled mine out at 22 minutes and they were perfect for my taste. If you like yours fully cooked, definitely err closer to 30 minutes.

After devouring a cupcake with my husband, we both agreed that they were delicious, but that they “tasted too healthy.” He was right – they were only about 80 calories each, which didn’t seem like much of a splurge.

Running on the adrenaline of one successful experiment, I decided to invent my own simple Paleo chocolate icing.

Paleo Chocolate Icing

Ingredients –

• 6 tbsp Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
• 2 tbsp So Delicious French Vanilla Coconut Creamer
• 1.5 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 tbsp cinnamon

Cooking Instructions –

• Combine all ingredients in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 10 seconds, then stir. Microwave another 10-15 seconds, then stir again. Microwave about 10 more seconds, then remove from the microwave and stir slowly until all chocolate chips have melted and the icing thickens.

This icing was DELICIOUS and so simple to make. I just threw it together and drizzled about 1 tbsp on each cupcake, adding just 25-30 calories each, and it added a richness that completely gave our sugar-cravings a one-two punch!

So, if you’re in a pinch and want to whip up a recipe that uses less hard-to-find Paleo ingredients, try out these cupcakes! Most avid primal dieters always have coconut milk and almond flour on hand, so as long as you’ve got those two, chances are you can whip together just about any baked treat you’re craving with a little experimentation!

Let me know if you try this recipe at home and how it comes out!

Bon appetit,

~ Tori

Related articles

• Paleo Pumpkin Apple Muffins (cinnamonandswirls.wordpress.com)
• Pumpkin Dark Chocolate Muffins (blondieandpitbull.wordpress.com)
• Paleo Chocolate Coconut Protein Squares (thek19life.wordpress.com)
• OMG, that’s paleo?! (crossfitcarly.wordpress.com)
• Crunchy Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies (megustamantequilla.com)
• Paleo Chocolate Coconut Pecan Pie (jillcronenworth.wordpress.com)
• Paleo Banana Bread (theacademymaine.com)
• Paleo Pumpkin Muffins – Made with Coconut Flour (healthextremist.com)
• Paleo Pumpkin Bars (Lurong approved) (amberwoodterrace.wordpress.com)
• Paleo Diet and Pumpkin Kiss Cookies (comfortshoos.com)