Cindrella's Revenge Part 2: Sweet, Delicious, Muffiny Delight

So, I've throw down my own gauntlet.  A week's worth of pumpkin posts.  One each day, for a week.  And honestly, I'm not sure how it's going to happen, but I do my best to always follow through with what I say I'll do.

It'll take more than pumpkin posts during a busy week to break me.  You guys are totally worth it.

So, today's post is a heartwarmer for me.  Pumpkin muffins.  I love muffins, I love pumpkin...I adore these.  So do my kids.  And my husband.  And pretty much anyone who's tried them.  I've taught this recipe to my daughter's girl scout troop, and it was a big hit.  So, basically, this recipe is easy enough to make with a group of 15 seven-year-olds.  Who all...want...to help.



My basic standard of muffin recipes, beside being delicious, is that you should pretty much be able to mix them up and get them in the pan in the time that the oven preheats.  This recipe meets that requirement for me.  Unless, of course, I forget to thaw the pumpkin ahead of time.  Which happens a lot.  Sucks.  But a few minutes under warm water, and it's good to go.

So, here we go:

Heat the oven to 350.

Grease the muffin pan, or pop in muffin liners.

Combine 1 1/2 cups flour and 1 teaspoon baking powder in a small mixing bowl.  You can even just do it in a 2 cup measuring cup, save some dishes!

In a larger mixing bowl. whisk together 1 cup of pumpkin puree (find out how to make your own here), 1/3 cup coconut oil (or vegetable, or canola), 2 eggs, 1 cup of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice (this is a good recipe to mix your own).

Whisk in the flour mixture until everything is just combined.

Fill your muffin tins 2/3rds full.  I like to use a dough scoop to work quickly without much mess.

Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on the tops of the uncooked muffins.  I usually have a jar of it in my cupboard, but if you don't have something like that on hand, just mix a teaspoon of cinnamon with a tablespoon of sugar.

Bake 25-30 minutes for regular muffins.  If you're doing mini muffins instead, go for 18-20 minutes.  Or, if you're going for big loaves of pumpkin bread, bake those for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool and serve.

You can spread butter or cream cheese on them too, if you feel so inclined.  Delicious either way.  Did I mention how much I love a good muffin?