Mmm…pumpkin spice muffins! How appropriate for the season! These are my favorite pumpkin muffins I have ever made. I recently made the mistake of deviating from this recipe and was so disappointed that I had to make these to redeem myself. I stumbled upon this particular recipe a few years ago and it remains a favorite to this day. I’m so excited to share it with you!
Just look at those beautiful specks of sugar and cinnamon on top! Don’t skip that step–the cinnamon sugar adds flavor, texture, and really makes these muffins gorgeous. The recipe calls for combining a tablespoon of sugar with cinnamon, but if you have a spice container of pre-made cinnamon sugar, by all means use that!
The pumpkin flavor in each muffin is subtle and no one flavor stands out. I actually like to increase the amount of pumpkin pie spice included to elevate the fall flavors a little more than the original recipe stated. My husband does not love pumpkin flavored things, but he loves these muffins. One big advantage of this recipe is how quick and easy these come together; all you need is a bowl and a whisk! With no special equipment necessary and little clean-up, these are perfect to whip up on a whim for breakfast.
This recipe is very adaptable. To keep these muffins on the healthy side, I substituted apple sauce for the vegetable oil and white whole wheat flour for all-purpose, but you can use whatever you prefer. If you’re feeling creative, try adding some fun mix-ins at the end! I think dried cranberries or chocolate chips could be delicious! If you try it, let me know!
Pumpkin Spice Muffins
Ingredients
- 1½ cups white-whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin (from a 15-oz can)
- 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce (or vegetable oil)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice (I like to use 1 1/2 tsp)
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- CInnamon sugar (1 teaspoon cinnamon + 1 tbsp sugar)
1) Put oven racks in middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Put liners in muffin cups. Whisk together pumpkin, applesauce or oil, eggs, pumpkin-pie spice, 1 cup sugar, baking powder/baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until smooth, then whisk in flour with mixture until just combined.
2) Stir together cinnamon and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in another bowl.
3). Divide batter among muffin cups (each should be about three-fourths full), then sprinkle tops with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake until puffed and golden brown and wooden pick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. (Mine were done before 25)
4). Cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes, then transfer muffins from pan to rack and cool. Enjoy!
Servings: 15. Nutritional Information per Serving: Calories: 114 Carbs: 24g Fat: 1g Protein: 3g Sugar: 15g Fiber: 2g WW PointsPlus: 3
Adapted from: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2006/10/promise-keeper-pumpkin-eater/
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