Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin Muffins
Tiffany Ludwig, Adapted by Blue Heron Kitchen

Time to bake in orange! 

Here’s the first of some pumpkin recipes.

In a recent conversation, my son commented that pumpkin muffins are so 90’s.

In strong defense of pumpkin muffins, and mild defense of the decade, here's some supplemental 90's support: Bill Clinton, The World Wide Web was invented, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was appointed to the Supreme Court, Autocar named the Mini Cooper “The Car of the Century”, and California passed Proposition 215 (medicinal marijuana). How about slap bracelets.

Still too retro? Update your pumpkin muffin wardrobe with 3” ring molds or use financier molds or try baking mini loaves. After all, muffins are basically colonized loaves.

These pumpkin muffins are simple to put together and bake, are dairy-free, have the added nutritional bennies of whole wheat flour without the dense texture or dominating taste of whole wheat, and if they’re not devoured straight away, you can throw them into a Ziploc bag or a plastic container and freeze them.

First time, I made them ‘plain’. They’re great without any additional ingredients. Second time, I played around more and used a 2:1 ratio of white whole wheat to unbleached all-purpose flour and I added walnuts and organic dried apricots. As the temperature outside decreases, the urge to bulk up my muffins increases.

This lovely, warm spice profile complements the squashiness of pumpkin. Grating your own nutmeg is worth the investment in a little nutmeg grinder. Microplane makes a tiny spice plane grater good for nutmeg or cinnamon, or you can buy a simpler, more traditional nutmeg grinder for a few dollars. Buy whole nutmeg and store in a closed container. Grate some fresh nutmeg and take a whiff. You’ll be astonished! (My Spice Sage is a solid resource that  that currently offers free shipping! I urge you to check out this site!) Take a whiff after you’ve grated some fresh nutmeg. You’ll be astonished!

If you don’t have white whole wheat flour (resources: King Arthur Flour, or, Wegman’s, a local supermarket in mid-atlantic NY, NJ, PA, MD and MA), use unbleached white, or combine white and wheat!). I like white whole wheat flour because it (for the most part) doesn’t impart the strong whole wheat flavor to the finished product, while still offering those perk nutrients that whole grains tout.

Finally, generally, I like to double recipes. If you’re making the effort, why not get the most bang for your buck? Not all, but many baked products freeze well; and almost everyone loves to receive something home-baked. Say it with a muffin!

If you’re using canned pumpkin (I use organic canned pumpkin, which is 15 oz….not quite 2 cups, but as they say in music-speak, “close enough for jazz”), one can will suffice for a doubled recipe.

peace and love,

jane

Yield: 12 Muffins or 24 Mini-Muffins

Ingredients: (c.=cup, tsp.=teaspoon) 1 ½ c. white whole wheat flour (or unbleached white or a combination of white and whole wheat flours) 1 tsp. baking powder ½ tsp. baking soda ½ tsp. salt 2 eggs, size large, at room temperature 1 c. sugar 1 c. pureed pumpkin or ‘other’ pureed orange squash or pumpkin 1/3 liquid c. vegetable oil – canola or grape seed 1 ½  heaping tsps. cinnamon ½  tsp. ground ginger ¼  tsp. ground cloves ½  tsp. ground nutmeg (freshly ground is best!) optional additions of nuts, dried fruit or chocolate (see below) optional: Turbinado or finishing sugar for tops Procedure: Preheat oven to 350°F. Rack should be in the middle of the oven. Prepare muffin tray(s) with either muffin cup liners or cooking spray. (12 muffins or 24 mini-muffins) Combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices; and blend with a whisk. Either by hand or in your Kitchen Aid (or ‘other’ electric mixer), whisk together the eggs and sugar until light yellow. (The beater blade will work fine in the electric mixer.) Add the vegetable oil and pumpkin and mix until smooth. Add the dry ingredients mixing until just combined. Over-mixing = tough muffins. Fill all the muffin cups to an equal height. (Optional: sprinkle a little coarse, finishing or Turbinado sugar on the top of each before baking.) Bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean, 15-20 minutes for “minis” and 25-30 minutes for full-sized muffins. Optional additions: Throw in ½ to 1 c. chopped nuts of your liking, like walnuts or pecans. (Always toast and cool your nuts first. Place them on a cookie sheet and toast them in a preheated 350º oven for about 6-8 minutes, until you can just smell them. Take care to not let them burn. If they burn, don’t use them – they’ll ruin whatever you’re baking. Cool before chopping.) Toasting nuts brings out their natural oils and makes a difference in the finished product.  Try tossing some into a salad! Add some dried fruit, like raisins or chopped apricots or dried cherries. You can combines some with the nuts. Try ½ c. dried fruit and ½ c. chopped nuts, combined. If you’re a chocolate lover, fold in ½ - ¾ c. chopped excellent quality chopped chocolate, or some excellent quality chocolate chips. I like Guittard or Ghirardelli. Mini-muffins? … one or two chips might become the muffin … so, if your chips are bullying your batter, chop them up. You’re the boss.