| Pumpkin Roasting |

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Drizzle some olive oil on a baking sheet
3. Cut your pumpkin in half, scoop out all the seeds and then place pumpkin halves face down on the baking sheet, swirling them around to spread the olive oil under the contact surface of the pumpkin.
4. Roast in the oven until tender, ~30-45 mins, depending on the size of your pumpkin.
5. Let cool on a counter and then measure out 2 cups of pumpkin for the muffins.  If you have leftover pumpkin, you can put it in a container and freeze it until you make these muffins again!

| Muffin Batter |

1. While your pumpkin is roasting, place your sugar, canola oil and vanilla in to a stand mixer with the whisk attachment and mix on low for 5-10 mins.
2. Meanwhile, whisk your dry ingredients (egg replacer, xantham gum, arrowroot starch, oat flour, chickpea flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg) together in a mixing bowl until uniformly combined.
3. When your pumpkin has cooled and you’ve measured out 2 cups, add the pumpkin to the wet ingredients and continue mixing until uniformly combined.
4. Add the dry ingredients in 2 parts, mixing on low speed for about 15 seconds or until just combined.  Use a bowl scraper/spatula as necessary to scrape any dry ingredients down into the batter.
5. Transfer the batter to a covered container and refrigerate overnight or up to 36 hours.

| Muffin Baking |

1. The next morning, preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Line your muffin tins with muffin cups (or spray well with non-stick spray)
3. Using a spoon or an ice cream scoop (I use 1 1/2 scoops of a 1 oz ice cream scoop), fill the muffin liners until about 2/3 full.
4. Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F and place the muffin tins in the oven to cook for 30-35 mins.
5. You can also use the this time to toast your pecan halves for decorating the muffins later.  Just spread the pecan halves on a baking sheet and put in the oven for 5-7 mins of the muffin baking time.  When the pecans are nice lightly browned and aromatic, remove from the oven and let cool.
6. Once muffins are done (i.e. when a toothpick inserted in the centre of a muffin comes out clean), allow your muffins to fully cool; ~ 20-30 mins.

| Frosting Making |

1. While the muffins are cooling, add your cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment.  Beat until smooth.
2. With the speed on low, add the vanilla extract and icing sugar.  Continue to whisk until smooth.
3. Scoop your frosting into a pastry bag with any tip of your choice.  (OR if you don’t have a pastry bag/are like me and too lazy to use one) you can also use a Ziploc bag and cut one of the corners.)  

| Muffin Decorating |

1. Using a paring knife, cut a 1.5 cm diameter chunk of muffin out of the centre/top of each muffin (put these in a bowl for snacking later!).
2. Fill each muffin hole with frosting.
3. Top with a toasted pecan half (squeeze any remaining frosting over your off cuts in the bowl.  You’ve earned a treat after all of this!)

| Mangia! |