Pumpkin Muffins

Hosting a Halloween party every year very frequently resulted in hungover overnight guests, so recently we started making pumpkin muffins and coffee as an easy take and go breakfast.

These muffins are delicious and very easy to mix up. The recipe makes about 30 cupcake size muffins, it may seem like more than is needed but they go quick and keep for a week stored in an airtight container.

Step 1: Gather the Goods

This recipe is ridiculously simple, most of these ingredients are things most people have in the fridge/pantry.

Although making your own pumpkin puree is always an option, this recipe is conveniently scaled to use a single 16 ounce can of pumpkin puree. If you choose to whip up your own puree substitute in 2 cups.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Gather the ingredients:
3 1/3 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
3 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
4 eggs
2/3 cups water
16 ounce can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

Mixing bowls and spoon, stand mixer is optional.
Cupcake pans
Cupcake liners

Optional powdered sugar & stencils for decorating

Step 2: Mix Up the Wet Ingredients

Measure the wet ingredients into a large mixing bowl (or your stand mixer if you have one)

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

4 eggs (crack eggs into separate bowl just in case you drop a shell)

2/3 cups water

16 ounce can pumpkin puree

Now give the entire mix a quick stir to incorporate the ingredients.

Step 3: Stir Up the Dry Stuff

Measure your spices into a small bowl

1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp. salt

Now measure the other dry ingredients into a large bowl
3 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
3 cups sugar

Pour the spice bowl in with the flour mixture and give a quick stir with a fork to mix together.

Step 4: Mix It All Up

Now take your flour mixture and slowly add to the pumpkin mixture, if you are using a stand mixer or hand mixer keep it on the lowest speed setting.

Stir just enough to incorporate all the dry ingredients. A few lumps are just fine.

Step 5: Fill 'em Up

Now grab your Cupcake pan and liners.

Fill each cup 3/4 full.

I hold each liner over the the batter bowl to fill then carefully drop the full liner into the pan, this just ends up being neater and works well for me.

Step 6: BAKE!

Pop those filled pans into the oven at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

Test the muffins by inserting a toothpick in the middle, if it comes out clean the muffins are ready, if there is batter on the toothpick, put them back in for a couple more minutes.

Take out the muffins and let them cool.

Step 7: Decorate

You can serve your tasty little muffins as is, or add a little festive flair.

I am serving mine as a breakfast item, so I am opting out of icing (although cream cheese or orange icing would be really yummy) I decided to just sprinkle a little bit of powdered sugar on top. I found these cute Halloween themed stencils at a local craft store.

If you have stencils just line it up on top of the muffin and gently tap a sifter full of powdered sugar over it.

Now serve your little muffins with a Pumpkin Spice Latte and send your hungover guests on their way.