Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin Muffins

Mmm, I love a nice muffin or gorgeous pastry or bread at breakfast. Nowadays I'm not so much about making time-consuming recipes; time rushes like water over a dam.  We try to hold it back and yet it flows ever forward.  A beautiful muffin and good coffee have become a joyous, slow way to start an otherwise busy weekend with my Sweetie Pie.

This was very good and so simple to make.  Nothing fancy here.  The recipe calls for canned pumpkin, which is 100% pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, which has all the added ingredients to make, well, pie.  I only ever buy the puree and keep it on the shelves, even when I make pies, because I follow a time-honored New England recipe for pie, and the canned pumpkin pie filling just isn't it.  But that's a story for another time.

Anyway, here's the recipe for the pumpkin muffins.  These freeze like a charm, which is a good thing, because the recipe makes just over two dozen beautiful muffins.

PUMPKIN MUFFINS
 Combine in a large bowl:
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

 Add to dry ingredients until just blended:
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
4 large eggs
2 cups pumpkin puree (solid pack pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Prepare two muffin tins by lining with cupcake liners, or spraying with cake release, or greasing with shortening and flour and shaking out any excess.

Fill muffin cavities two-thirds full and bake 20-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean.

For a little decadence, these can be frosted.  I haven't tried it, but I think making these muffins in one of those super-sized muffin tins and frosted, oh, be still my heart.