Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins-In-A-Jar (Recipe Redux)

Do you know what happens when you are a recipe fiend like myself? You write them down on random scraps of paper and then lose them. You type them up in random word documents and forget to save them. Both happened to me yesterday as I went to work on this post for my first ever Recipe Redux.

Amazing first impression, no?

Thankfully I have a wonderful mother at home who is an expert at finding those random scraps of paper when her daughter texts her at obscene hours in desperation. Two hours away and she is still taking care of me.

It is with a smile on my face that now I am finally typing up my entry for Recipe Redux’s November 2013 of Adding Merriment to Mixes. The description for this month’s challenge is:

From hostess gifts to holiday gifts, it’s the season for DIY offerings from your kitchen. And homemade mixes couldn’t be easier! Think about healthy bread, hot cocoa, cookie bars, dressings or even spice mixes. Share the recipe for how you package up a little shelf-stable love from your kitchen!

I have always wanted to make one of those cookies-in-a-jar mixes that just look so incredibly seasonal and crafty. With this challenge I had the perfect excuse to do so. Except my favorite muffin recipe was on my mind instead of cookies and I just knew that a recreated grain-free version would be absolutely perfect.

Check out my instructions below for how to assemble (and bake) these scrumptious muffins!

Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins-In-A-Jar

Grain/Gluten/Wheat-Free, Dairy-Free, Nut-Free Options, Paleo/GAPS-Friendly

Makes approximately 18 muffins

Dry ingredients:

• 1 cup almond flour*
• 1/3 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed*
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Wet ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 3/4 cup honey*
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted*
• 1 cup chopped apples (about 2 small)

Optional streusel topping:

• 3/4 cup ground sunflower seeds*
• 3 tbsp coconut flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup honey*
• 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted*

*Ingredient substitutions: You can use any kind of nut or seed flour in place of the almond flour to make this suitable for allergies. Ground chia meal would also work subbed in for the flaxseed in equal amounts. Instead of the honey maple syrup can be substituted. And if you don’t have coconut oil on hand, melted butter, ghee or a neutral-tasting oil should work fine as a replacement. For the ground sunflower seeds 3/4 cup of any nut or seed flour would be great.

Instructions for muffin mix jar:

Combine all of the dry ingredients into a glass mason jar or other container. (If you want to include the streusel, mix up just the dry ingredients of that in a separate bowl, put into a small ziploc baggie, and place that in the top of the jar/container before closing). Attach a fun gift tie or a handwritten note with the directions below. Prepare for family members to love you even more! 😉

Directions for mix:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 18 muffin tins with paper liners (to prevent sticking you can further spray the liners with oil).
2. In a large bowl beat the eggs and then add the pumpkin puree and honey, mixing well.
3. Now add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until thoroughly combined.
4. Mix in the chopped apple chunks.
5. Divide the batter equally among the 18 muffin tins.
6. If making the optional streusel combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients (it should resemble a sticky dough). Break the dough up into little pieces and sprinkle over the muffin batter.
7. Bake the muffins for approximately 30-40 minutes (oven times may vary). The muffins will be done when the tops spring back when slightly touched and the streusel topping is a dark golden brown.
8. Let cool for about 10 minutes before eating.

After you whip this mix up, check out the collection below for more mixes to enjoy this holiday season:

Also shared at Real Food Forager.

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What is Recipe Redux? 

Great question!

As the first and only recipe challenge founded by registered dietitians,The Recipe ReDux is focused on taking delicious dishes, keeping them delicious, but making them better for you. Dietitians Regan Jones (of ReganMillerJones, Inc.), Serena Ball and Deanna Segrave-Daly (both of Teaspoon Communications) founded the group on the belief that healthier eating should always taste delicious. As the Latin term “redux” means to revisit or reinvent, we are reinventing the idea of healthy eating with a taste-first approach. We aim to inspire the food lover in every healthy eater and inspire the healthy eater in every food lover.

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Questions for you:

Have you ever made or received a baking mix as a present before?

What is your favorite holiday muffin recipe?

Any requests for a paleo/grain-free/allergy-friendly recreation this season?