I love pumpkin. I love baking with pumpkin. I have even been known to stir some cinnamon and sugar into plain canned pumpkin and eat it for a snack. Yum.
It’s super good for you, as it’s basically steamed, pureed fresh squash. It is only 40 calories per half c. and has 300% of your daily needs for Vitamin A. I tell my students that vitamin A is fat soluble which means your body can store it; if you eat a half c. of pumpkin you don’t need to have any foods with vitamin A for 3 days!
Here are some pumpkin muffins slightly adapted from the Bon Appetit cook book. Very moist, spicy, and easy to make. In the next few weeks I will DEFinitely be making a pumpkin pie, a pumpkin bread, and a pumpkin roll with cream cheese filling. I heart pumpkin!
Spiced Pumpkin Muffins
Makes 15
1 c. flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
2Â 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1Â 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c. coarsely chopped walnuts, lightly toasted, divided
1Â 1/4 c. canned pure pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie mix)
1 c. whole milk (ideally), or 1 or 2%
2 eggs
6 tbsp. butter, melted
2 tsp. grated peeled fresh ginger, or 3/4 tsp. ground ginger
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray 15 standard muffin cups with nonstick spray.
2. Whisk both flours, both sugars, baking powder, spices and salt in a large bowl to blend.
3. Mix in half of walnuts to dry ingredients.
There are some sunflower seeds I had around so I added them in, ignore them in the photo
4. In a medium bowl whisk pumpkin, milk, eggs, butter and ginger to blend.
This is fresh ginger root. Peel back the skin with a knife and use a cheese grater or zester to get the flesh of the root. Whisk the fresh ginger into the wet ingredients, but if you use dry then whisk it in with the other spices
5. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until JUST incorporated (don’t overmix!).
6. Fill each muffin cup 2/3 of the way full. Sprinkle remaining walnuts on top along with a little brown sugar, if you’d like.
7. Bake for 25 minutes or until you lightly touch the top and the muffin is springy, not wet.
8. Let cool at least 5-10 in the pan and then turn out to a wire rack to cool completely.
*Muffins should be kept at room temp and will be great for a few days.
Spiced Pumpkin Muffins
Makes 15
1 c. flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
2Â 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1Â 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c. coarsely chopped walnuts, lightly toasted, divided
1Â 1/4 c. canned pure pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie mix)
1 c. whole milk (ideally), or 1 or 2%
2 eggs
6 tbsp. butter, melted
2 tsp. grated peeled fresh ginger, or 3/4 tsp. ground ginger
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray 15 standard muffin cups with nonstick spray.
2. Whisk both flours, both sugars, baking powder, spices and salt in a large bowl to blend.
3. Mix in half of walnuts to dry ingredients.
4. In a medium bowl whisk pumpkin, milk, eggs, butter and ginger to blend.
5. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until JUST incorporated (don’t over mix!).
6. Fill each muffin cup 2/3 of the way full. Sprinkle remaining walnuts on top along with a little brown sugar, if you’d like.
7. Bake for 25 minutes or until you lightly touch the top and the muffin is springy, not wet.
8. Let cool at least 5-10 in the pan and then turn out to a wire rack to cool completely.
*Muffins should be kept at room temp and will be great for a few days.
