YUM YUM YUM!!! Pumpkin MiniCakes #lowcarb #recipe #glutenfree #grainfree

Yesterday evening my 28MO grandson and I talked about making bread, which he really REALLY loves to do. But I had sort of a sweet tooth so I was able to persuade him to make cupcakes instead. I didn't know what kind yet, and of course didn't have a recipe (I rarely use them, and even when I do it is just for guidelines), but I sat him on the kitchen counter, pulled out the mixer, and got started anyway. These are pretty close approximations of ingredient amounts, since I do measure when baking with him. He likes using the cups and spoons, and is learning to level off the tops as well. So here we go.

- 4 eggs
Whip with whisk attachment in mixing bowl until fluffy.

- 1/2 of a 15 oz. can of pure pumpkin
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Add to eggs and continue whipping until very smooth.

- 1c pecan meal/flour
- 1/2c coconut flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2c erythritol (or your choice)
- 1/4c brown Sugar Twin (or your choice)
Mix well with fork or wire whisk.

Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and mix thoroughly with paddle attachment. It will be very thick, almost like cookie dough.

- 1/2c melted coconut oil
Drizzle into "dough" with mixer on low speed.

This will help thin it a little but it will still be too thick for cake batter.

- heavy cream
Drizzle into bowl with mixer on low until "dough" becomes batter and reaches desired consistency; I used probably 1/3c (guesstimate); mix until well incorporated.

Grease (or spray) your mini-muffin tins WELL. Bake in preheated 350*F oven about 25 minutes, until a knife inserted into the middle of the largest muffin comes out clean.

Remove from tins to a cooling rack and cool completely.

NOTE: This recipe made exactly 48 mini-muffins, or 2 trays. I did make frosting for these, and once I put it on, they went from superb to SUPER AMAZING! Just did a standard cream cheese frosting, whipping together about 2 parts cream cheese to 1 part butter, with a splash of vanilla, sweetening to taste with liquid sucralose drops, and drizzled in cream while whipping until desired fluffy consistency. Since the frosting needs to be refrigerated we are frosting them as we eat them - I don't want the muffins to dry out in the fridge.

These are SO SO SO SO good, especially with a nice hot cup of coffee!