Orange Spice Muffins with Buttercream Icing

Fall is in the air! The cool and crisp weather draws me back to the warm, cozy kitchen to start baking again. With pumpkin spice flavored items available everywhere, I wanted to put together a delicious spiced muffin. When you're on a special diet, there should be no reason to feel deprived or unable to eat fall treats! 

I really wanted my parents to enjoy our beautiful fall weather and colors, so I asked them to visit us in the fall this year. We enjoyed a beautiful train ride in the mountains, where the aspens have changed to a brilliant yellow already, and I really started to feel like fall has arrived. 

Back at home, my mom and I whipped up some delicious Orange Spice Muffins with Buttercream Icing. I am so happy with the results! They have just the right blend of pumpkin pie spices with a hint of orange flavoring to give them a refreshing, tangy zip.

We thought it would be fun to pour the batter into donut pans and make them even more special and decadent! Of course, they bake the same and taste the same...but there is just something luxurious and novel to me about biting into a donut!

Orange Spice Muffins with Buttercream Icing
Makes 12 regular muffins or donuts or 48 mini muffins

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs
• 4 Tablespoons SCD legal orange juice concentrate, no water added
• 4 Tablespoons homemade SCD yogurt
• 1 teaspoon sugar-free vanilla
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup raisins or chopped dates
• 1/2 cup coconut flour, lightly stirred
• 3 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon each; salt and baking soda
• 4 Tablespoons orange zest, finely grated
• 1 cup pecans, finely chopped, plus more to sprinkle onto tops, if desired

Instructions:

• Blend eggs, orange juice concentrate, yogurt, vanilla, honey and raisins.
• Combine coconut flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt and baking soda. Whisk into wet ingredients until there are no more lumps. Fold in zest and one cup pecans.
• Divide between 12 paper lined muffin cups or well oiled donut shapes or place one Tablespoon batter into each well oiled mini muffin cup. Bake at 325 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Buttercream Icing

Beat until fluffy:

• 3/4 cup palm shortening
• 1/4 cup softened butter
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup honey
• 1-1/2 teaspoons sugar-free vanilla

Here is the printable recipe.
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A few tips: 

• If you are making this recipe for another diet, any plain yogurt will do. Those on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet use SCD Yogurt. 
• I have done fine with the 100% orange juice concentrate at Costco. Trader Joe's has also worked fine for me in the past.
• I found palm shortening at Sprout's. It was our first time cooking with it, and the icing is so light and fluffy! 
• Use any vanilla containing vanilla, alcohol, and water only. Avoid the sugar if you are on the SCD.
• I used Trader Joe's roasted unsalted chopped pecans.