2 ingredient gluten free pumpkin muffins

My 9 year old daughter has become very interested in baking all of a sudden. She's always liked to help out in the kitchen, but she's now wanting to start making things all on her own. I don't know if it's a phase or if this is something she'll always love, but as of right now when you ask her what she wants to be when she grows up she says, "I want to open a bakery where people with all different kinds of food allergies can eat yummy treats!" I think because she herself is gluten free and mostly dairy free (she's lactose intolerant) she has a special place in her heart for people that have a hard time finding baked goodies that are safe for them to eat.

I myself am not a huge baker. Add to that I recently found out (this past January) that I am not only allergic to gluten but also cow's milk, eggs and most nuts......among other things. Happy happy joy joy! ;) So, long story short, I too have had to make a few changes and am still learning how to navigate baking with my newly found food limitations.

So when I stumbled upon this Betty Crocker gluten free cake mix at the grocery store I did a little happy dance because the mix itself is gluten free, dairy free, egg free and nut free! And if you skip over the recipe on the back and just add one can of pumpkin to the mix, you'll end up with 12 yummy little pumpkin muffins. Hello fall, I've missed you! Now bring on the pumpkin everything!

If you're smart you'll add chocolate chips, but it's not really necessary. I mean it kind of is though, but whatever. ;) Just to recap this ridiculously simple recipe:

Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Nut Free Pumpkin Muffins:
1 box Betty Crocker Gluten Free Cake Mix
1 can of Pumpkin
*chocolate chips optional

*Preheat oven at 350, line a muffin tin or grease pan with coconut oil or any oil you prefer, pour mix into cups, bake for about 25 to 30 minutes. The batter will not look like regular cake batter. It will be pretty thick and you will think it isn't going to work, but it will. Makes 12 muffins.

Now, for the fun part. The frosting. Which is also optional, but come on. Who doesn't love a good cinnamon buttercream frosting? I use grass fed butter (Kerrygold) which doesn't bother me at all. The muffins themselves are great on their own, but they really aren't super sweet even though there is sugar in the cake mix. (Which is why I'm calling them muffins not cupcakes.) If you're making these for a brunch you can probably skip the frosting, but if you're making these for a dessert I say load them up with frosting! :)

Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting:
1/2 cup of softened Butter (salted or unsalted, choose what you prefer, I use salted)
4 cups Powdered Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
3/4 tsp. Cinnamon (or more if you prefer)
3 to 5 tbsp. Coconut Milk (or whatever milk you prefer)

*Beat softened butter on high for about 3 minutes until it's nice and fluffy. Add in vanilla extract and 3 tablespoons of coconut milk and keep beating. Reduce speed to medium and slowly add in powdered sugar, move back up to high speed to incorporate all the sugar. At this point if the frosting is too thick add in 1 tablespoon of coconut milk at a time to get to the frosting consistency you want.

We use the ziploc baggie trick for piping our frosting. Just fill a ziploc bag with frosting and cut off the tip. This is a great way for kids to get in on the frosting action!

These little muffins are quick, simple and so easy for kids to make mostly all on their own. My girl was quite proud of her frosting job.

It's fun to watch a kid's interests develop. Who knows if baking is something my girl will always love and enjoy, but right now it definitely seems to be a passion of hers.

This is a great little recipe for her to "play" with and experiment. You may also want to try changing this recipe up a bit by adding some vanilla extract & pumpkin pie spice to the cake mix! Or if you're not allergic to nuts, maybe add in some walnuts. There are all kinds of ways to tailor this quick muffin recipe to suit your taste buds! Enjoy!