Moistest-Ever Pumpkin Pie Muffins

Everyone is on their own on Thanksgiving morning, but to make it easier, I made these muffins.  They were in the USA weekend and are an Ellie Krieger recipe.  I know that I could have gotten pumpkin seeds at Whole Foods or Trader Jo’s, but there was no way I was going near those stores the day before Thanksgiving.

Ingredients:

Cooking spray

1 C all-purpose flour

1 C whole-grain pastry flour or whole-wheat flour

1 t baking soda

½ t salt

1 t ground cinnamon

½ t ground ginger

¼ t ground cloves

1/8 t ground nutmeg

¾ C firmly packed dark brown sugar

3 T unsulfured molasses

¼ C canola oil

2 large eggs

1 C canned solid-pack pumpkin (I used the whole can)

1 t vanilla extract

¾ C low-fat buttermilk

¼ C unsalted raw pumpkin seeds (I substituted pine nuts)

(Added ¾ C currents)

Directions:

1.       Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.

2.       In a medium bowl, whisk together both flours, baking soda, salt and spices.

3.       In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, molasses, oil, and of the eggs until combined.

4.       Add the other egg and whisk well. 

5.       Whisk in the pumpkin and vanilla.

6.       Stir in the flour mixture in tow batches, alternating with the buttermilk, just until combined.  Stir in the currents if using.

7.       Pour the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling each one about 2/3 full, and sprinkle the surface with the nuts. 

8.       Bake about 20 minutes.  Mine took 30 minutes; probably do to the extra pumpkin and the currents. 

9.       Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.  Run a knife around the muffins to loosen them and unmold. 

Yield is 12 muffins.  I put out bowls of fruit to go with the muffin.