Pumpkin Muffins
As our families launch into fall and all the busy yet cozy times that come with it, we definitely find ourselves craving (dare we say it?) pumpkin spice everything. Stop for a pumpkin spice latte? Yes! Whirl up a boozy pumpkin spice milkshake? Perfect! And, while these muffins might not feature “spice” in the name, trust us — they’re full of the stuff.
In fact, we whisk in all the classics — cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger — plus turmeric for a little extra-sunny warmth. The muffins are also made with pumpkin, wheat flour, maple syrup, brown sugar and brown butter, so they’re hearty, lightly sweet and unbelievably moist. We love the subtle, nutty depth the brown butter adds. Basically, they’re everything we want in a pumpkin muffin and nothing we don’t. Read: our kids are pretty happy we’ve skipped the raisins and nuts.
It’s such a treat to wake up to a tray of fresh pumpkin muffins. They taste amazing with a pat of salted butter spread over them, and they might be our favorite grab-and-go breakfast. We’d definitely tuck them into the kids’ lunchboxes. But they’re also our favorite for long fall weekends at the cabin — all that pumpkin and spice makes a delightful pairing with cool northern air and tastes especially nice after an invigoratingly cold swim or a challenging hike — and before a nap!
Makes 24 muffins
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 to 25 minutes
Ingredients
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 15-ounce can pumpkin purée
3 large eggs
1 cup packed light brown sugar
⅔ cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
- Heat oven to 350 F. Line the muffin pan with paper liners or spray with nonstick spray.
- Heat butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling occasionally, until the butter has melted, foamed and started to turn brown, about 5 minutes. Scrape up any browned bits at the bottom of the pot. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric and nutmeg.
- In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, maple syrup and vanilla until totally smooth. Whisk in dry ingredients until incorporated. Then whisk in the browned butter until incorporated.
- Fill the prepared muffin tins ⅔ full with batter and bake until the tops are puffed and spring back slightly when pressed, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Cool muffins for 5 minutes, and enjoy warm or at room temperature with butter. Store remaining muffins in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Recipe adapted from NYT
