Butternut squash muffins with a sweet gingerbread twist

Butternut squash is a hearty vegetable and very popular in the fall and winter months. With its bright orange hue and lightly sweet and nutty flavor, this squash is perfect not only for savory recipes but also for sweet treats.

For this kid-approved (and healthier!) treat, I folded mashed butternut squash into muffin batter and added real molasses and pumpkin pie spice to give them a bit of a gingerbread feel. My family loves these muffins for a simple, quick snack or as a sweet bite.

Use roasted or steamed butternut squash in this recipe. The key is to mash or whip it as smoothly as possible so no chunks are in the muffins. I also love the depth of flavor the molasses adds, but if you don’t like it, try pure maple syrup or honey instead.

Butternut squash-pumpkin seed muffins recipe

To make roasted butternut squash, toss 1 cup of fresh diced butternut squash into 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and roast at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes. Once roasted, mash with a fork, and either use in your muffins or keep chilled until ready for baking.

Yields 12

Prep time: 10 minutes | Bake time: 20 minutes | Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Dy ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice mix
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Wet ingredients

• 1/2 cup mashed roasted butternut squash
• 4 ounces applesauce
• 1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
• 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
• 1/4 cup blackstrap molasses (or substitute with maple syrup or honey)
• 1 teaspoon maple or vanilla extract
• 1 whole egg

For the topping

• Gluten-free rolled oats
• Toasted pumpkin seeds

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F, and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
2. To a bowl, add all the dry ingredients. To a separate bowl, add all the wet ingredients, and mix well or until the mixture is smooth with no lumps.
3. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry, and fill the muffin cups 3/4 of the way full with the batter.
4. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with rolled oats and some toasted pumpkin seeds.
5. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and the centers of the muffins are baked.
6. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool slightly before serving. Store any leftover muffins in an airtight container for several days.

More butternut squash recipes

Skillet butternut squash lasagna
Butternut squash with bacon
Roasted butternut squash soup with carrots and potatoes