Gluten-free muffins - or how to make your own tiny boulders

I am not a fan of gluten-free recipes where the first five ingredients are what is needed to replace "regular" flour.  When I was a gf newbie, I was eager to try and make things from scratch to the point of purchasing the various abstract flours to make "real" flour: potato, tapioca, rice (brown and/or white), xanthan gum , etc etc etc.  $60.00 (or so) later, I attempted to make pancakes ..... three times.  Never again.  I now am a firm believer/supporter of  ready-made gluten-free flour mixes that most health food stores sell (I like to use a mix from  Planet Organic).

Negatives I have noticed about gf baking: bake goods tend not to rise as well as their gluten counterpart, they tend to be heavier in weight and do not stay fresh for long (am I selling gf to you yet?).  For example, I made Butternut Squash Spiced Muffins the other day (recipe to follow), and they were absolutely delicious fresh out of the oven....few hours later-boulders.  Hard dense hit-your-enemy-in-the-temple boulders.  Helpful hint-briefly microwave the offending bake good as it should perk up.  You also might want to store the goods in a zip-lock bag or container in the fridge or freezer.  (Again, am I selling it yet?)