Sweet treats and good friends, they're all you need!
Back in December and January, my two friends, Sophie and Nikki, were initiated into the world of baking homemade muffin through this spiced pumpkin muffin recipe. I don't kid when I say that they were natural pros; all I did was talk as they measured and mixed. These muffins were so good that Sophie's boss, a chef on West Campus loved them!
We have Teresa Floyd of Now, Forager to thank for the original recipe. With a few Hannah-esque tweaks, like almond milk "buttermilk", less sugar, applesauce, and oil substitutes for butter, you've got the recipe below that, dare I say, is even easier. Teresa's blogpost has a host of tips for baking the best muffins, and here's my two-cents: weigh your ingredients! You'll end up with fewer measuring cups to wash and more accurate measurements.
If you need music to listen to as you bake, I'm recommending my "Warm & Fuzzy" playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/10mvs2OBoZA23NPJFYGkXJ
Adapted from: Now, Forager
1/4 cup (56g) almond milk
2 teaspoons of vinegar (white or apple cider) or lemon juice
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 cup + 5 tablespoons (126g) of a neutral oil*
1/2 cup (107g) granulated sugar
3/4 cup (142g) packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup (61g) of applesauce
1 egg
1 cup (241g) of pumpkin puree
1/2 cup (69g) pumpkin seeds
muffin liners
2 standard 12-cup muffin tins**
Preheat the oven to 375F (190C). Line the muffin tins with paper liners.
In a liquid measuring cup, combine the almond milk and vinegar. Stir and set aside for 10 minutes to curdle.
In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger.
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the oil, both sugars, applesauce, eggs, pumpkin puree, and almond milk "buttermilk." Add the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture and mix gently, just until combined.
Fill each muffin cup nearly to the top with the pumpkin muffin batter. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds. Bake for 20-24 minutes, or until golden, puffed, and a toothpick inserted comes out clean (a few crumbs are fine!). Let the muffins cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely (if you can wait that long!).
*Grapeseed or safflower; if you don't mind the flavor, olive works well too!
**Teresa's original recipe says this recipe makes 18 muffins. I like taller muffins, so I fill the liners up to the very top for a nice muffin top dome. Depending on the moisture of my pumpkin puree and the oven I use, I may have to add 3-4 minutes to the baking time, but I always start checking around the 20 minute mark. As expected, my method will yield fewer muffins!
If you only have one muffin tin (like me), wait until the muffins have cooled for 10 minutes in their tin before removing them and washing the muffin tin for reuse. Don't fill the muffin tins when they're still warm! Washing them in cold tap water will bring the temperature down for quick reuse. If you're lazy (like me), allow muffin liners to stand freely on a baking sheet to be baked simultaneously with the muffin tin. You won't end up with the same shaped muffins, but hey, that's not the worst problem to have on your hand.
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