Pumpkin Muffins

It’s time to bake some delicious Pumpkin Muffins for breakfast or afternoon tea! These easy, home-made muffins are so simple to make and take around 10 minute active prep time! Before long you’ll be pulling out a fresh batch of the softest, fluffiest pumpkin muffins from your oven. If you love pumpkin baked goods then you’ll love these pumpkin muffins!

I have been inundated with pumpkin from home grown pumpkin to huge pumpkins in my vege box so I hope you’ll forgive the surplus of pumpkin recipes that are coming up. And hopefully you’ll be just as smitten with these soft, fluffy pumpkin muffins as I am. You can use any time of pumpkin for these pumpkin muffins but you want to roast it and then puree it. Pumpkin puree is a really handy ingredient that freezes well so I often roast a big pumpkin and make pumpkin puree and then freeze it in 100g/3.5oz portions.

Why You Should Make These Pumpkin Muffins!

1 – You can make these pumpkin muffins without any oil or butter! I only know this because I accidentally forgot to add oil in one batch and they were still delicious! They’re slightly fluffier and softer with the oil but they’re still delicious without it and stay fresh at room temp in an airtight container for up to 4 days!

2 – These pumpkin muffins are deliciously moist and perfect for a delicious breakfast or afternoon tea.

3 – They are also lightly spiced. If you love spices, you can double the amount of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and vanilla in this.

4 – I love these with toasted pecans in them or sometimes I try cinnamon chocolate chips if I’m in a sweet mood.

5 – This recipe is perfect if you have some pumpkin puree or roasted pumpkin

6 – These can be made gluten free if you have a gluten free flour mixture that you think is reliable for cakes

7 – These muffins freeze well in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months!

8 – I promise that these muffins don’t need any frosting – you know me, I’ll use any excuse to make cream cheese frosting but try them as is!

These pumpkin muffins cheered me on on a very boring long weekend. Usually long weekends are times of lots of fun but I’m married to Mr NQN who gets exhausted easily and doesn’t like doing things. So I promised him that we would only have something to do on Saturday and that Sunday and Monday was free. I had been very busy too so I thought that I’d really enjoy the down time too but come Sunday noon I was itching to do something. I tried convincing myself that watching tv in bed would be a great idea because it is one of my favourite things to do. I had Law and Order SVU ready (I find it soothing). I was about to do some exercise and I had a little schedule laid out.

But it was exactly then that poor little Milo was sick. All over the bed. First it was on Mr NQN’s quilt cover (we have separate quilts, seriously, it’s a marriage saver). He gave me this look that was pure Eeyore. “Don’t worry my magnificent little meatball, it’s ok,” I said stroking his head. I put him in his bed with my fuzzy house coat on it because they love that texture and he watched while I exercised. After 15 minutes he was sick all over that too. I ran downstairs and put on another load of laundry and by then Mr NQN was back home from wing foiling. Milo seemed happy and in high spirits again. Usually after they get it all out they feel better.

I took my lunch and a drink upstairs, ready to watch Law and Order while humming the theme song. I had my favourite snacks and an episode that I hadn’t seen before. And then I heard a noise, sort of like a soft “Arrrgh”. Milo was sick all over my quilt but this time it was lots of water and a lot of grass as well as a whole ball of his food. And after that, it was yet another load of laundry and Law and Order was forgotten. So when people asked me how my long weekend was I just weakly replied, “Good thanks!”.

So tell me Dear Reader, what is your idea of a perfect long weekend? What is your set up on your perfect day off?

Pumpkin Muffins

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 22 minutes

Makes 12-14 muffins (depending on size of muffin tin)

• 1.5 cups/220g/7.7ozs cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 120ml/4flozs oil (mild flavoured eg canola) (optional)
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 300g/10.6ozs pumpkin puree
• 60ml/2flozs sour cream or milk
• 120g/4ozs caster or superfine sugar
• 80g/3ozs brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Pinch salt
• 100g/3.5ozs white or cinnamon chocolate chips or toasted, chopped pecans
• Pepitas and pecans to decorate

Step 1 – Preheat oven to 160C/320F fan forced. Line a muffin tray with 12 liners. In a large bowl, sift the flour and baking powder together. In a jug or a medium bowl whisk the oil and eggs together. Then whisk in the pumpkin puree, sour cream, caster sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, vanilla and salt until you get a smooth mixture.

Step 2 –Mix the wet mixture into the dry mixture with a spatula. Then stir in the chocolate or pecans. Scoop into the liners using a large ice cream scoop until 7/8 full. Top with pecans pieces and pepitas. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until the centre springs back.

Store these muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. These muffins freeze well in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.