Pumpkins are everywhere….from porches to lattes, candles, grocery stores, craft stores….
I just can’t seem to get away from their orangey goodness. And when Halloween has come and gone I confess to loading up the trunk with their toothy grins and going pumpkin chucking with a certain sister of mine on the deserted back roads of Ontario towns.
It’s goofy – it’s therapy – it’s tradition – what can I say.
Another therapeutic thing for me is to bake with pumpkins, which brings me back to today’s recipe…
It’s based on a pumpkin loaf recipe from www.finecooking.com. (by the way, it’s a great daily recipe service to subscribe to).
I like a spicier muffin or loaf than the usual person so have amped up the recipe with cinnamon and nutmeg. And, muffins are more portable for sharing so that’s what I made rather than a loaf.
Here’s how to make 12 muffins:
Ingredients:
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin purée
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup honey
Topping:
2 tbsp. hulled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners or use a non-stick 12 muffin pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients together except for the pumpkin seeds used to top the muffins. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, pumpkin, sugar, oil, and honey together. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir with a large spoon just until evenly incorporated.
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups and top with a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds.
Bake for approximately 18 – 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of one muffin comes out clean.