Pumpkin Muffins

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.

Banana Daiquiri Muffins

Delicious muffins with hints of lime, bananas and rum.

Folded into the banana muffin mix, these chopped cherries introduce a moist and surprising texture

Wow does the house smell delicious when the oven opens up to these muffins!

You know when you read a recipe and you just know you have to give it a try. Well this one had me at bananas, cherries and freshly squeezed and grated lime. So I got to baking and found out that this one is just as good as it sounds! I added a few of my own twists so that it has a little deeper flavour and more fibre.

Here’s a recipe to make 24 muffins.

 

 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups white all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 3 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 4 very ripe and mashed bananas
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 12 tbsp. melted butter
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/2 cup medium or dark rum
• 3/4 cup diced glace or maraschino cherries
• zest of 2 limes
• 2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
• icing sugar for dusting (optional)

Preparation:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. and prepare 24 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, salt and nutmeg.

In another bowl, mix together bananas, sugar, butter, milk, rum, lime juice and the zest until well blended.  Make a well in the flour mixture and add the liquid mixture.  Stir this until the ingredients are moistened.  Stir in the chopped cherries.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the muffin comes out clean.

Cool and dust with icing sugar if desired.

Mamie’s Raisin Muffins

My Mom made these on many weekends, and gave them to my sisters to share on ski trips. Some of my sister’s friends still make them for their own kids!

1 cup raisins
1½ cups water
½ cup butter
2/3 cup brown sugar lightly packed
1 beaten egg
2 ½ cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla

Boil 1 cup of raisins in 1 ½ cups of water for 1 minute and let cool. Don’t discard the raisin water.

Cream the ½ cup of butter with the 2/3 cup of brown sugar.
Add one well beaten egg and the raisins, including the water in which they were boiled.

Sift 2 ½ cups flour; 1 tsp. baking powder, and 1 tsp. baking soda. Add to the first mixture and beat well. Add 1 tsp. vanilla.

Put in muffin tins or baking cups and bake in oven at 350 degrees until done. Mom didn’t say when they’d be done…just they’re done when they’re done. (check after 15 minutes and continue cooking until golden brown)