When the weather turns cooler, the sunsets more brilliant, and I find myself detouring to enjoy the crunch of leaves under my feet, I know it's fall, my favorite season. Autumn is for eating, and pumpkin is the quintessential fall food. For the longest time I thought it was only for pies and pumpkin roll.
But I was inspired the other day to try a pumpkin soup recipe, which did not please me enough to warrant an appearance here, but it did inspire me to try the leftover pumpkin in muffins.
The muffins disappeared quickly; so I made another batch this morning.
Pumpkin Muffins2-1/2 cups of
Pamela's Pancake and Baking Mix* 2/3 cup of brown sugar (you may reduce to 1/2 cup if you want the muffins less sweet)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
2 eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk or half-n-half
2 tablespoons canola oil or melted butter
1 cup of pumpkin puree (
I used organic canned pumpkin)
Combine first four ingredients in a large mixing bowl with a wisk. Beat the eggs, vanilla, milk, oil and pumpkin puree in a separate bowl. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix by hand until well combined.** Pour into 12 lined muffin cups and bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes. If you allow them to cool for a little while before diving in, they will peel from the muffin papers much more easily than when they are hot. Enjoy.
*This baking mix is the BEST. I love it for it's slightly sweet flavor and because it is so easy to use. If you love to bake and are gluten-free, I urge you to run out and buy a 4-pound bag of this mix and use it religiously.
**I have read that because of being gluten-free, these batters can withstand quite a beating. It's my thought that the mixing will not develop the elasticity that results from the gluten in typical baked goods, a reason that recipes caution against over mixing of quick breads and other things that you want to be light and fluffy. Hence, the silver lining to being gluten-free! My muffins are fluffy!
