Comfort Food: Dairy Free Pumpkin Cupcakes

So it's officially fall, the weather is getting cooler, the leaves are changing, everything is "pumpkin spiced" {not complaining here} and I start to think COMFORT FOOD. Macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, lasagna, pizza, cookies, cakes.... nom nom nom.

There's just one problem: how in the heck am I going to cook and bake all of my favorite cool-weather comfort foods without milk?! I guess there's only one way to soothe the pumpkin spiced monkey on my back. Bake it out. 

I left the grocery store with canned pumpkin in my cart and a twinkle in my eye. My quest: pumpkin cupcakes with "cream cheese" frosting. 

It took a little searching, but I was able to find an amazing pumpkin cupcake recipe by Ina Garten (love, love, love her) that was already dairy free (love her more), so I didn't worry too much about the actual "cupcake" part.  

INA GARTEN'S PUMPKIN CUPCAKES 

Makes 12

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeat
• 2 extra large eggs, at room temp
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree, not pie filling
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a 12 cup muffin tin with cupcake liners

Into a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. In a larger bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vegetable oil. Add the flour mixture and stir until combined.

Divide the batter among the prepared tins and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool completely.

The frosting was another story. You see, I've had an 8oz tub of vegetable based "cream cheese" in my fridge just waiting for a project, but I've been apprehensive. This would be just the time to break that sucker out. 

After tasting the "cream cheese" I realized my apprehension was valid. Disgusting. It was disgusting. I didn't even want to waste my powdered sugar trying to turn it into frosting. It was salty and the texture was like pureed cottage cheese. I'm not sure who these people were trying to fool, but anyone who's had real cream cheese is not falling for this mess. 

Down the garbage disposal it went. I kind of felt bad even sending it into our national water-ways but I wasn't brave enough to put it in my compost bin. 

Now what? Well, here's what I came up with: 

CINNAMON FROSTING

• 4 oz of shortening
• 4 oz of coconut oil
• 1/2 cup of powdered sugar 
• 1/2 tsp of cinnamon

Aw, so pretty, so pumpkiny, so "comfort foody" and they were DELICIOUS!! Mission accomplished! However, next time I'll certainly double the frosting recipe! 

Now here's where it gets silly; as I was Googling "dairy free" frosting recipes I discovered that most commercially produced frostings are dairy free. It just figures that I never considered the most obvious source. 

Peace,
-Laura