Assortment of Muffins
By Cat, Jun 2008; updated Jan 2012 (Photo, right, from Wikimedia Commons)
- See also: 1. Breads & Muffins Menu; 2. Grains, Flours & Starches (About) Menu; 3. Crumb or Nut-Crumble Topping for Muffins; 4. Sugar and Other Sweeteners Menu; 5. Spelt vs Wheat in Baked Goods & Pasta
I’ve always loved breads and quick breads that include a softened fruit in the recipe: banana bread, cranberry bread, and this example, pumpkin spice muffins. In addition to the pumpkin, this recipe also include dried fruits (such as raisins ,Zante currants, or cranberries). Nuts are not included, but you could add chopped nuts with the dried fruit.
Pumpkin Spice Muffins
This recipe is adapted from Fine Cooking (1). I prefer to use part stevia for some of the sugar, as I’ve indicated in the recipe. If you don’t want to use stevia, I include two all-sugar alternatives. I also prefer to use part whole-grain flour as indicated, but you could use all unbleached white flour.
The original recipe calls for golden raisins, but I love to use at least part dried cranberries, and the pumpkin/cranberry combo is delicious.
Makes about 20 muffins. not yet tested; I’d like to convert this to make 12 muffins, since my tins are each 6-muffins. I would also like to adapt it to a pre-soaked version.
NOTE: When baking, do not put muffin tins on separate racks, but you can put two pans on the same rack.
Ingredients & Equipment:
- 4 fresh eggs
- 1 cup plain yogurt (or substitute buttermilk or sour cream)
- 3 cups pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)
- 1½ cups Rapadura sugar; OR 1 cup packed light brown cane sugar plus ½ cup white cane sugar; OR ½ tsp stevia extract powder plus ¾ cup Rapadura sugar)
- ½ lb (2 cubes) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour plus 2 cups unbleached white flour
- 2 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp unrefined sea salt
- 3 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- 3 Tbsp ground ginger
- pinch cloves
- pinch white pepper
- 1 ½ cups golden raisins (or mix of golden raisins & dried cranberries)
- Equipment:
- small saucepan (for melting butter)
- 2 large bowls
- muffin tins for 20 muffins
- muffin papers (optional)
Method:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 12 muffin cups (or fill cups with muffin papers).
- Melt butter and keep warm.
- Whisk eggs, yogurt (or substitute), pumpkin puree, sweetener(s) and melted butter in large bowl.
- Sift flours and other dry ingredients into another large bowl. Remove ¼ cup to dredge the dried fruit. Slowly add remaining flour mix to the wet ingredients, stirring just until mixed. Gently fold in the dredged fruit.
- Scoop ½ cup batter into each muffin cup, so that the curve of the batter is even with the rim of the cup. Fill any empty muffin cups with water. (Refrigerate any extra batter in an airtight container, up to a week).
- Bake in middle of oven until firm to the touch and test done with a toothpick, 30 – 35 minutes. Remove from tin when cool enough to handle.
