Pumpkin Muffins

I haven't updated this in a while because I haven't cooked anything worth sharing lately. Life has been busy and our meals have been quick. They've still been healthy, just nothing fancy. I love to bake and do it whenever I have a chance. Since I was not interested in watching the Super Bowl I decided to make some muffins. I love pumpkin muffins and so does my family. We never get tired of eating them! I was very upset to find out there is a shortage of canned pumpkin. I went to several grocery stores and even called the company to ask them why I could not find any. They told me there was a shortage due to bad weather in the midwest during pumpkin harvesting season. I finally found some at a nearby grocery store and I was so excited! I went immediately and bought 10 cans. I might go even go buy more this week. It doesn't expire until 2012!

I had mentioned in one of my earlier posts that I try to use all fresh ingredients rather than canned. Yes, I have cooked pumpkins before and used the puree for baking and it was soooo delicious! However, it is very difficult and time consuming. You have to drain it and stir it for a whole day just to get rid of all the water to make it suitable for using in pies, breads and muffins. I think there is still plenty of vitamin A left in the pumpkin when it's canned so I use it quite a bit. Baked sweet potatoes are completely interchangeable with canned pumpkin but the flavor and consistency is a little different.

Somebody had asked me about turbinado sugar recently. I use it only when baking for our family because it is more expensive that refined white granulated sugar. It can be used in the same amount as white sugar in any recipe. It is healthier for you because it is still in it's natural state and retains some of the nutrition found in sugar cane, as opposed to highly processed and bleached white sugar. Click here for a good article on turbinado sugar.

Below are some images of the baking process. The first one is a picture of turbinado sugar for those who have never seen it. This shows you that baking muffins from scratch is so easy! I know it seems easier to buy a box off the shelf, add 2 or 3 ingredients and you're done. But the flavor and nutrition in a scratch made muffin is so much better. These are also lowfat because they contain oil instead of butter. I forgot to mention that I use aluminum-free baking powder, which is found in most grocery stores in the baking aisle.

Now for the recipe:


Pumpkin Muffins
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 16oz. can pure pumpkin
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350. Spray muffin pan with cooking spray or line with paper muffin liners. Beat sugar and oil in a large bowl to blend. Mix in eggs and pumpkin. In another large bowl whisk together flour, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Gradually add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and beat just until blended. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full.  Bake for 18 - 20 minutes. Cool in muffin pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire baking rack to cool.