I was looking for a pumpkin this week at the supermarket, only for the stock boy to just point towards the usual pile of butternut squash and shrug. Bless him, while they do make a great substitute, I just wanted the real deal! I find supermarkets in Dubai to be funny sometimes… They fly in beautiful pumpkins in October, only to then stop stocking them literally after Halloween is over. Sure, they make great Jack O’ lanterns or decorations at the door, but hellooo… some of us actually want to use them to bake goodies all the way through Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Moving on… I went to the next best alternative, canned pumpkin purée, and was happy to find a brand with no additives. Just pure solid pumpkin goodness to use in this recipe.

These pumpkin muffins are packed with warm and inviting autumn spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. They are deliciously moist and topped with a nice spicy kick from stem ginger crumble. Plus, they’re easy to make with just 2 mixing bowls and 20 minutes in the oven!

I first made a batch using common ingredients like white flour and butter, and they turned out absolutely delicious. But I’ve been on a quest to adapt some of my favorite baked goods into gluten-free and dairy-free versions, in order to work around my intolerances. Plus, I wanted these pumpkin muffins to suit anyone with food sensitivities.

While I typically make my own gluten-free flour blends, I was looking for a quicker, fool-proof method that’s easy for everyone. Thankfully, our supermarkets are stocking one of my favorite brands… Bob’s Red Mill. Their gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour makes it really easy to transform traditional recipes to gluten-free, and are ideal for muffins, brownies, cookies, and cakes!

So if you’re a fan of ginger and pumpkin, then bake a batch of these beauties, and enjoy them with a big cup of coffee… all cozied up on the sofa.

Happy baking!