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It's that time of year for nostalgic baking. In fact I just finished making the traditional english Christmas cake with my mum over the weekend. Something we do every year to continue the family tradition. That will give it lots of time to get all nice and boozed up with brandy before Christmas day. Yum!

Now I'm sure no one need's an extra excuse to bake since Christmas is a mere less than two weeks away, but I'm going to give you one anyway. It's time to turn on the oven and get the house all toasty warm with the sweet smell of apples and cinnamon.

You may remember when I made these healthy pumpkin spice scuffins.

I explained how they were a cross between a scone and a muffin. Perfect for an afternoon snack or breakfast especially when spread with some creamy nut butter. Well here is a version that I made using fresh cooked apples instead of pumpkin. You have to make sure you use a good baking apple such as a mcintosh, empire or cortland variety because they break down easily making them perfect for cooking. Just think applesauce. 

These aren't too sweet making them a wonderful treat without the sugar rush.

Apple Spice Scuffins {GF, Vegan} (makes 6)

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Ingredients:

• 1 cup of steel cuts oats, ground into flour (I like to use my coffee grinder)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 2 rounded tsp cinnamon +1tsp for the apples
• pinch fresh nutmeg
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 chia egg: 1 tbsp chia seeds mixed with 3 tbsp water (let sit for 5 minutes)
• 2 large baking apples, peeled, cored and sliced (mac's, empire and cortlands work best)
• (optional) any dried fruits or chocolate chips

  Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. In a small bowl mix the chia seeds with water and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the oat flour, baking powder, salt, spices, and rolled oats.
2. Put the apple slices in a sauce pan with 1 tsp of cinnamon and 2-4 tbsp of water. Simmer on low until they are tender. Transfer the apples to a food processor and blend until you have a smooth puree or sauce.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the apple puree and thickend chia egg (the chia seed will have absorbed most of the water by now).
4. Now add the apple mix to the dry mix and stir until combined. If you are adding any dried fruits or chocolate stir them in next. Raisins and walnuts are a nice combination.
5. Scoop a 1/4 cup of the batter onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, until you end up with 6 scuffins. Shape and slightly flatten the dough into rounds.
6. Bake for 25 minutes until lightly golden.

 * Note * If you would like to make these a little sweeter (afterall it is the holiday season) you can add 1/2 cup of maple syrup and 1-2 tbsp brown sugar. 

I will definitely be making these again! This is the perfect recipe to accompany an afternoon cup of tea. And they have just the right balance of slow digesting carbohydrates to keep your blood sugar levels stable until dinner time. Let's hear it for a smooth running metabolism! Keep that fire burning.

Have an awesome day!

I know what you're probably thinking. . .What the heck is a "scuffin"?!

Well it's a blend between a scone and a muffin! The texture is somewhere in between, hence the reason for the name "scuffin". It's not quite flaky like a scone, but not quite fluffy like a muffin either. It's almost cookie like.

I could also have called these muffin tops; you know the part of the muffin you love to tear off and eat first? Or last? Depending on your personality. Accept these wont fill you out like a muffin will. Nope. You know why? They are full of nutrients, calcium, vitamin A, fiber, and protein. And as an added bonus they are entirely gluten free, vegan and sugar free.

Pumpkin is a wonderful substitute for sugar in baked goods.

Perfect with a glass a milk or almond milk for a gluten free option.

My goal when making these was to come up with a very healthy snack that could double as breakfast or an addition to breakfast. I really love baked oatmeal and that is exactly what these scuffins are. There is nothing in these that I would not eat in a bowl of porridge! How is that for healthy? Except the salt of course, but trust me when I say you need a tiny pinch when baking.

They make for a perfect light snack or as a great alternative to your morning bowl of oatmeal to mix things up a little. Especially when you spread some almond butter on top! Oh! Try taking two, spread some almond butter in between and you've got yourself an excellent baked oatmeal cookie breakfast sandwich! Are you as excited as I am?

Healthy Pumpkin Scuffins with Raisins {Vegan & Gluten Free}

Makes approximately 6 scuffins

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Ingredients:

• 1 cup gluten free steel cut oat flour (I grind my own using a coffee grinder/ food processor)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• chia egg: 1 tbsp chia seeds + 3 tbsp water
• 1 cup canned, pure pumpkin
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup raisins

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. In a small bowl, mix the chia seeds with water and set aside. In a large bowl, thoroughly whisk together the oat flour, baking powder, sea salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and rolled oats.
2. In a small bowl mix together pumpkin, vanilla, and chia egg. Add to the dry ingredients and, using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir until just combined. Stir in raisins.
3. Scoop a 1/4 cup of the cookie dough for each scuffin onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Using your hands or a spatula, shape the dough into rounds to resemble muffin tops and slightly flatten. Bake for 25 minutes.

...And because I love you all, I've added a nutritional profile for these!

Nutritional Info: (Per Scuffin) 219 Calories, 3.2 grams fat, 0.6 grams sat. fat, 129 mg sodium, 40 g Total Carbohydrates, 5.3 grams fiber, 9.5 grams protein, 3% vitamin A, 18% calcium, 12% iron

*Note: You can you pre-ground nutmeg but if you grate your own from whole nutmeg you will never want to go back to pre-ground again. It's that good.

I should tell you that these scuffins are not overly sweet because that wasn't my intension when making them. That's why I added the raisins. However, if you would like them to be a tad sweeter you could add  1/2 cup or so of maple syrup or honey, or add a few drops of stevia, which is a clean alternative to reagular sugar. I love these just the way they are though and I hope you do as well.

Overnight oats are a wonderful way to get breakfast quickly in the morning because of their make ahead convenience. It's also perfect for those who are on the go and need to take something with them. So what are they? Simply put they are just oats that have absorbed the liquid they have been soaked in. There's no cooking involved. Plus eating overnight oats is another way to add chia seeds to your diet. If your looking for some good info on them, check out this post.

As an added benefit to soaking your oats, your body will have an easier time digesting and absorbing their nutrition. This is because they are already partially broken down after soaking. We all know how good oatmeal is for us - it's full of vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber, and is a great way to lower cholesterol. And as the oats soak, their vitamin content actually increases. Especially the B vitamins, which among many things help keep a strong healthy metabolism, heart and nerve function.

There are a few different version floating around out there on the internet. The most common uses milk, yogurt and chia seeds. This version is vegan so there's no yogurt, and it's pretty basic.

Now I love having oats for breakfast, but I just can't seem to bring myself to eat cold oatmeal. Just the thought of eating it cold turns me off. So these overnight oats have a little twist to them. They are still soaked overnight, but instead of using a liquid to oat ratio of 2:1, I added a little more liquid in order to allow for a few minutes of microwave time the next morning.

The result: a super creamy bowl of oatmeal that comes close to tasting like pudding!

The best part is that it only takes a minute or two to throw everything together the night before.

Basic Overnight Oats (Serves 1)

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Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup of almond milk (any milk you like will do)
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

1. Add oats, chia seeds, cinnamon and milk to a bowl or microwave safe container and stir together. Cover and place in the fridge overnight.
2. In the morning, remove lid and put oats in the microwave on high for 2-5 minutes depending on how powerful your microwave is. Watch it closely. When it starts to bubble and rise take it out and let it sit covered for another 2-3 minutes (the longer you let it sit the thicker the oats will get).
3. Top with fresh fruit or something crunchy like a sprinkle of granola or cereal, and 1-2 tbsp of nut butter for healthy fats.

To this bowl I added sliced banana and a tbsp of maple cinnamon almond butter, and it tasted like heaven!

Of course if eating cold oatmeal doesn't bother you, you can still use this recipe to make traditional overnight oats as long you use 2/3 of a cup of milk instead of 1 cup and skip the microwave. Either way you choose it's a great breakfast.

It's exciting to get up in the morning and know it's already waiting for you.