Blackberries are coming in season, and they pair perfectly with pumpkin for a fruity, fall treat! The combination of pumpkin and berries is one of my favorite flavor pairings - I often do this in oats or pancakes - so I decided to bake muffins with pumpkin and some blackberries I got at the farmers' market! It was so delicious!
I used oat flour, which I just make quickly by blending oats until it’s the consistency of flour. If you are allergic to gluten, be sure to use certified gluten-free oats or oat flour. You could also substitute all-purpose or white whole wheat flour. If you use regular whole wheat flour, I would recommend substituting almond flour for half of the flour to keep the muffins from being too solid and thick. I made a mix of full-sized and mini muffins just for variety, and you could also bake these in a donut pan to make them into donuts for another variation.
I also threw in a few carrots to add some vegetables and enhance the orange color! If you know me, you know I love sneaking veggies into baked goods! You could easily leave them out if you don’t have a blender (or don’t want them in your muffins, no judgment), and then just mix the wet ingredients by hand. The orange color was also made more vibrant by adding a dash of turmeric, which has health benefits as well. The blackberries turned a really pretty magenta color when they baked, and combined with the orange muffins, it looked like a sunset!
P.S. I think pumpkin spice season should be every season, not just fall! When I went to New Zealand last fall, they ate roasted pumpkin with lots of dishes and it was so cool and delicious. I often get cans of pumpkin purée when I grocery shop, since they are cheap and last a long time, and are so versatile. So you can make these muffins year-round!
Pumpkin Blackberry Muffins Recipe
(vegan, gluten-free, nut-free)
Makes about 10 full-sized muffins and 6 mini muffins
Ingredients
Wet:
1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax mixed with 3 tbsp water, and refrigerated for at least 5 minutes)
1 cup pumpkin purée
⅓ cup milk (I used oat milk)
¼ cup maple syrup or honey
2-3 large carrots (optional)
About 1/2 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp almond extract (optional, omit if nut-free)
Dry:
2 cups oat flour
½ tsp cinnamon, dash of: nutmeg, allspice, cardamom, ginger (or pumpkin spice)
Dash of turmeric (optional)
3 tsp baking powder
Add-in: 1 - 1.5 cups fresh blackberries, rinsed and dried
A few tbsp orange zest (optional)
Steps
1. Preheat oven to 350 F, and lightly oil a muffin tin with paper liners and lightly oil them.
2. Prepare your flax egg. While it is setting, assemble the rest of the ingredients.
3. Blend the wet ingredients besides the flax egg together into a purée.
4. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
5. Add the wet ingredients and flax egg to the dry ingredients, and combine all ingredients together. Mix until evenly combined - it will be somewhat fluffy due to the baking powder.
6. Mix in the berries.
7. Spoon the batter into the muffin tin. You can slice a few extra blackberries in half to add on top for decoration, and sprinkle with orange zest if you like.
8. Bake the muffins for 15-20 minutes for mini muffins, and about 20-25 minutes for full-sized muffins - a toothpick should come out clean.
9. Let cool, and enjoy!
