the Great Pumpkin muffin

For those who’ve been following me on twitter, for the last month I’ve been doing non-stop testing for this recipe.  For some reason I got it into my head that I wanted to make pumpkin muffins.  I had never eaten pumpkin before, nor have I ever eaten pumpkin pie, but for some reason this seemed like a good idea to me.  “It’ll be festive!”, I thought to myself.  6 pumpkins & 2 cans of pumpkin purée later the recipe is finished.  I’m happy to report that they taste amazing, though I don’t think I’ll be craving them again soon.  If you’re feeling festive in this last week of October, give these a try!

Baking is definitely an art & a science, and after my many trials (aka fails) I’d recommend you stick to this recipe as close as possible.  In this version I roast my own pumpkin, but you can use canned pumpkin purée if that’s easier, though the roasted version tastes much better. 

you will need:

• a roasting pan
• tinfoil
• a serving spoon
• a large mixing bowl
• a digital scale
• a potato masher
• texas-sized muffin tins (the kind that make 6 muffins instead of 12)

ingredients:

• 1 pie pumkin, under 2 lbs (this is not a regular pumpkin, they’re much smaller, sweeter & more dense)
• canola oil spray 
• cinnamon

• 600g (21oz) roasted pumpkin (or canned pumpkin purée, NOT pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 cup raw cane sugar (or Splenda)
• 3 eggs (I use organic free-range eggs from the farm)
• 2 cups whole grain all-purpose & pastry flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp margarine, melted
• 1 tsp cinnamon & 1/4 tsp nutmeg or 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

step one - roasting the pumpkin

So the first thing you’re going to do is roast your pumpkin.  The good news is that you can do this a few hours ahead of time if you want to, as it will need time to cool.  

Wash it really well, chop off the stem & then slice it in half from top to bottom.  Resist the urge to cut out the top, you’re not making a jack-o-lantern with it.  Using a big metal spoon scoop out the pumpkin seeds & strings until you have 2 nice halves.

Preheat your oven to 350F.  Place both halves of your pumpkin cut side up in your roasting pan, spray them with a small amount of canola oil & sprinkle with cinnamon.  If you don’t have canola oil spray a couple tiny dots of margarine around the sides will work too.  

Next you’re going to cover them with the tinfoil.  Try to avoid the tinfoil being tight against the pumpkin, but do make sure to firmly seal it around the edges of the roasting pan.  You’re doing this to sort of steam/roast the pumpkin, so you want to make sure the heat will stay inside the pan.

When your oven is preheated pop in the pumpkin and bake for an hour.  When you take the pumpkin out of the oven, peel back the tinfoil to check it.  You want to make sure it’s not hard anymore so that it’s easy to mash.  You’ll probably notice a bunch of juice in the pumpkins, which is totally okay.

Take the tinfoil off of the pumpkin and allow it to cool slightly.  When it’s reached the point that it doesn’t burn your hands to touch it, use a big serving spoon to scoop the insides into a mixing bowl.

You'll want to use your digital scale so that you can measure out the proper weight of pumpkin.  Each pumpkin varies in size, and this is the only way to ensure you're using the right amount of stuff.  Now you can mash up the pumpkin with your potato masher until it’s just a little lumpy.  Set this mixture aside (or in the fridge) and allow to cool completely.

step two - the making of the muffins

Take out your cooled pumpkin mixture & add to it the raw cane sugar, eggs, margarine & spices.  Stir with a spatula until it just comes together.  Next add in your whole grain flour, baking powder & salt.  Stir again until it’s just barely mixed.  If you over-mix your muffins they won’t rise properly, so walk away a few stirs before you think you’re done.  You want the dry stuff to be wet, but you don’t need to worry about it being lumpy.  The lumps will bake out.

Spray your texas-muffin tins with canola oil & scoop your mixture out into them until almost full.

Bake at 375F for 45 minutes, and then check them by sticking a toothpick in.  If the toothpick comes out clean they’re ready.

If you decide to use regular muffin tins instead of the texas-sized ones your cooking time will vary greatly, so keep an eye on them. 

Let cool & enjoy!