Egg-Free Winter Squash Muffins

Goodbye tomatoes, hello winter squash.

Thanks once again to Angelic Organics, we have red kuri squash and pumpkin soup tucked away in the freezer, spaghetti squash salad with feta cheese and oregano vinaigrette in the fridge, and for that sweet little delicata? How about some squash muffins?

As usual, my muffins are egg-free to accommodate Roo's allergies. I used delicata squash because that's what I had left over after the soups were made, but most winter squash will work here...butternut, red kuri, hubbard, kabocha, pumpkin, pretty much anything but spaghetti squash. 

Egg-Free Winter Squash Muffins
adapted from The Divvies Bakery Cookbook

1 small winter squash (I used delicata, but butternut, red kuri, kabocha, or pumpkin will also work) 
1 & 1/2 tsp salt, divided
3 & 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 cup pear puree (baby food pears work well, or you can substitute applesauce)
1 cup canola oil, plus 1 tsp for rubbing squash
1/3 cup water
3 cups sugar

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Rub cut sides with 1 tsp canola oil and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp of the salt. Place squash cut side up on a baking sheet and roast until soft, about 30 minutes. Allow squash to cool to room temperature. Scoop out flesh and reserve. Discard skins.
2. Reduce oven to 375 degrees. Spray 2 muffin tins with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, remaining 1 tsp salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the cooked squash with an electric mixer until pureed and smooth. Add the pear puree, 1 cup canola oil, water, and sugar. Continue to mix until the sugar has dissolved.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat on medium speed until well-combined, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl periodically.
5. Scoop batter into the muffin tins, filling each about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven, cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove muffins from tins and allow to cool completely.

Makes 24 muffins.

These are fantastic spread with a little cream cheese, or if you're feeling truly decadent, you could whip up some lemon cream cheese icing to drizzle on top.

I wasn't sure how the idea of squash muffins would go over with my roasted squash-loathing children so I did what any good parent would do. I kept my mouth shut. Instead I let the cinnamon-y fresh baked bread aroma do the talking until the inevitable happened.

Looly: "Can I have a muffin?"

followed shortly by...

Bean: "Me too! Why does she always get to have muffins and we don't!"

Bean will make a masterful dissident one day.

45 seconds later two crumb-faced girls were back for more, so it was time for the cold hard truth. There's squash in there!

I then proceeded to ask Looly if she liked the muffin so many times she finally locked her eyes on mine with the concern of a child whose parent has suddenly lost their mind and very calmly touched my hand and promised, "Yes, mom. I liked it. I really really liked it. It was yummy. I thought it was a banana muffin."

Score!

On the flip side, Roo, the perpetual bread-avoider declined to try a bite but promised me that if I make pumpkin muffins next time, he's game.

Divvies Egg-free Banana Muffins

It was a bleak and pitiable day a few years ago when Roo received his initial eosinophilic esophagitis diagnosis (EoE). Our GI team assumed that dairy was largely to blame and we eliminated it cold turkey. Just like that, one half hour doctors appointment and no more pizza, ice cream, Goldfish crackers, Parmesan on pasta, you get the idea. Shortly afterward, a skin prick test revealed Roo was also IgE allergic to peanuts and eggs. That's the scary anaphylaxis-causing kind of allergic, as opposed to IgG mediated allergies which cause his EoE. Then he lost all the tree nuts. Then peaches. Beef. And apples.

Suddenly very alone and flailing in a sea of Earth Balance, Veganaise, and Enfagrow Soy Formula with Christmas approaching, I was pulling out all the stops to come up with something remotely palatable to bake that we could all enjoy. It was not going well.

Just as I was about to call off the reindeer and torch the stockings, I discovered Divvies, nut-, dairy-, and egg-free cookies, popcorn, and candy. Thanks to Lori Sandler, Christmas came after all.

Even with dairy and apples back in play for Roo, Divvies is still without a doubt one of my favorite sources for baked goods. The cookies are top notch, not top-notch for allergy-free cookies, but rather, someone please take these things away from me before I eat the whole plate good. The Sandler family's attitude is proactive, inclusive, and upbeat. And though she might not know it, I credit Lori Sandler with single handedly pulling me out of the little pity party I was having for myself when Roo was diagnosed.

So, when Divvies came out with a cookbook, can you guess who was first in line? The Warm Apple-Apricot Cake on page 19 is ridiculous even though we modify it a bit. Apples are ok for Roo now but apricots are still a little too close for comfort to peaches, so I use orange marmalade instead of apricot preserves. The chocolate cupcakes are the best I've ever tasted from a home kitchen. The fudge is decadent and well, super fudgy, but the recipe we end up making more than any other in the book, is the banana bread.

My girls adore quick breads and this banana bread is their favorite of the bunch. Roo, a relative latecomer to the world of breads, will eat this over most any other. Throw some of the batter into mini muffin tins and you have one of our favorite lunchbox treats.

Egg-Free Banana Muffins (or Loaves)
adapted slightly from The Divvies Bakery Cookbook

3 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 & 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger
5 ripe bananas
1 cup baby food pears (or pear puree)
1 cup canola oil
1/2 cup water
2 & 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners or spray with cooking spray. Alternatively, spray loaf pans
2. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Set aside.
3. Peel the bananas and place in a separate mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed until pureed. Add the pear puree, oil, water, and sugar and beat until all elements are well-combined.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and beat at medium speed until well combined, remembering to scrape down sides of the bowl.
5. Bake full-sized loaves for 65-80 minutes, mini-loaves for 45-60 minutes, muffins for 25-27 minutes, and mini-muffins for 12-15 minutes, testing with a toothpick for doneness.
6. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack (muffins 10 minutes, loaves 20 minutes) then remove from pan and allow to cool completely.

Makes three 9x5-inch full sized loaves, six 5x3-inch mini-loaves, 12 muffins, or 36 mini-muffins