I don't think I've really ever taken the time to appreciate fall flavors before. I mean, I enjoyed pumpkin pie just fine and I always like apples. But, the earthiness of the squashes and root vegetables, how it plays so nicely with the tartness of apples and fresh cranberries....these were things I had not really noticed or capitalized upon in the past.
From the number of earthy, pumpkin/root veggie recipes I've posted over the past few months, you can probably tell that that has changed this fall. So, with Christmas just days away and fresh cranberries eyeing me so anxiously from the fridge, I give you another recipe fit for the cool, wet days of fall and winter (but I think I'm going to want them all year long!).
This recipe was great. I was nervous to mess with it too much, so I did not use honey instead of sugar (I will next time), nor did I add the amount of cranberries I really wanted to (I will do that next time too!). I would also cut back on whatever sweenter I chose in the future. These were great, and not overly sweet, but definitely wouldn't have been "underly" sweet had I put less in. They come together quickly and could be an excellent way to start your Christmas morning... :)
Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins
makes 24 mini-muffins + 3 large muffins (or about 12 large muffins)
adapted from Prevention RD
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
1/3 cup oil (I used 2 tbs melted coconut oil and the rest olive oil; I think all olive oil would be just fine. A nut oil like walnut or maybe even flax would probably work too!)
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1 cup + 1 Tbsp raw turbinado sugar (I would use less and would probably substitute at least half as honey next time)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup fresh cranberries, roughly chopped* (I halved the small ones and quartered the big ones)
*If you're making only the regular/large sized muffins, you could probably leave your cranberries whole. Since I was making mini-muffins, I worried that whole cranberries would leave me with only one cranberry per muffin! I would also probably use closer to 1 cup of cranberries next time for a bit more tartiness.
Optional "toppings":
walnut or pecan pieces
toasted pumpkin seeds
Preheat oven to 350 F (or 325 if using honey). Put liners in muffin cups or oil muffin cups well.
Mix together the flour and baking powder and set aside. Whisk together the pumpkin, oil, eggs, spices, all but one TBS of sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until smooth. Then whisk in flour mixture until just combined. Fold in cranberries.
Plop batter into prepared muffin cups, filling about 3/4 of the way. Then sprinkle tops with the remaining tablespoon of sugar and any additional toppings you might like. Bake until puffed and golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 15-20 minutes for mini and 25 to 30 minutes for large.
Cool in the pan on a rack for a few minutes, and then transfer muffins from pan to rack and cool. Serve with hot tea and presents!
This recipe was great. I was nervous to mess with it too much, so I did not use honey instead of sugar (I will next time), nor did I add the amount of cranberries I really wanted to (I will do that next time too!). I would also cut back on whatever sweenter I chose in the future. These were great, and not overly sweet, but definitely wouldn't have been "underly" sweet had I put less in. They come together quickly and could be an excellent way to start your Christmas morning... :)
Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins
makes 24 mini-muffins + 3 large muffins (or about 12 large muffins)
adapted from Prevention RD
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
1/3 cup oil (I used 2 tbs melted coconut oil and the rest olive oil; I think all olive oil would be just fine. A nut oil like walnut or maybe even flax would probably work too!)
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1 cup + 1 Tbsp raw turbinado sugar (I would use less and would probably substitute at least half as honey next time)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup fresh cranberries, roughly chopped* (I halved the small ones and quartered the big ones)
*If you're making only the regular/large sized muffins, you could probably leave your cranberries whole. Since I was making mini-muffins, I worried that whole cranberries would leave me with only one cranberry per muffin! I would also probably use closer to 1 cup of cranberries next time for a bit more tartiness.
Optional "toppings":
walnut or pecan pieces
toasted pumpkin seeds
Preheat oven to 350 F (or 325 if using honey). Put liners in muffin cups or oil muffin cups well.
Mix together the flour and baking powder and set aside. Whisk together the pumpkin, oil, eggs, spices, all but one TBS of sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until smooth. Then whisk in flour mixture until just combined. Fold in cranberries.
Plop batter into prepared muffin cups, filling about 3/4 of the way. Then sprinkle tops with the remaining tablespoon of sugar and any additional toppings you might like. Bake until puffed and golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 15-20 minutes for mini and 25 to 30 minutes for large.
Cool in the pan on a rack for a few minutes, and then transfer muffins from pan to rack and cool. Serve with hot tea and presents!