Leaves are beginning to fall and there’s that occassional chill in the morning air. Pumpkin season is beginning to approach with it’s warm comforing spices reminding us to slow down and breathe a little deeper to enjoy our colorful surroundings. Mother nature is beginning to rest and so should we. To be honest, I’m not the Pumpkin Spiced Latte girl, but more of pumpkin in the baking form, kind of girl. I love when the warm spices begin to infuse the air in all corners of the house.
I have one pumpkin muffin recipe that I’ve enjoyed for years, but I needed to try a different version. I found a pumpkin muffin recipe on Sally’s Baking Addiction, which I often go to as a resource for new recipes and methods. I didn’t have the pumpkin pie spice needed for this recipe, but she had instructions for making it at home. All of the ingredients were available in my kitchen, so I started there. Next, I wanted to adapt the recipe to include a few things I enjoy orange zest, molasses and vanilla in warm-spiced fall/winter recipes, so those were incorporated.
The Dry Ingredients:
*Before beginning, preheat your oven to 425 degrees. These come together quickly and you want to be ready to smell that magic sooner rather than later. It’s all part of this life-changing sensory experience.
In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside. It is recommended, but not necessary, to weigh the flour. If you can’t, make sure you fluff flour with a whisk, spoon out into the measuring cups and level off with a straight edge. Packing it into the cup will affect the weight and may influence the outcome of the muffins.
The Orange-Infused Sugar:
Rub the orange zest into the sugar to release its oils and infuse the sugar.Take a whiff. Heavenly! Set aside.
The Wet Ingredients:
Blend together the wet ingredients with both sugars into a medium-sized bowl.
The Mix-Up:
Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until no pockets of flour are visible.
The Bake:
Line the pan with cupcake liners. Using a large scoop, fill them envenly almost to the top. Sprinkle with a little turbinado sugar, if you desire a little sparkle on your muffins! Place them in a preheated oven and set the timer for 5 minutes. When the timer sounds off, immediately reset oven temperature to 350 degrees and reset timer to bake for an additional 15-16 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Do not open the oven!
Why 425 degrees ? :
The initial high heat helps the muffiin tops to rise quickly revealing a beautifully domed appearance prior to the interior portion of the muffin is set. Lowering the temperature allows for the center of the muffin to be cooked without over browning the tops.
Here’s your final product wafting from your kitchen into every corner of your home.
Amazing Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 1-3/4 c all-purpose flour (219g) fluffed, spooned, leveled
- 1 t baking soda
- 1-1/2 t cinnamon
- 1-1/2 t pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 t ground ginger
- 1/2 t salt
Sugar
- 1/2 c sugar
- 1 t orange zest
Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 c canola/vegetable oil
- 1-1/2 c pumpkin puree (NOT pie mix)
- 2 large eggs, room temp take out a few minutes before using
- 1/4 c milk
- 1 T molasses
- 1 t vanilla
- 1/2 c light brown sugar
Instructions
Pre-Bake
- Preheat oven to 425℉.
- Line a cupcake pan with 12 paper liners.
Dry Ingredients
- In a small bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together and set aside.
Sugars
- In a small bowl, rub the orange zest into the granulated sugar.
Wet Ingredients
- In a medium bowl, blend together the wet ingredients, along with both sugars.
- Stir in the dry ingredients with a whisk, until no flour is visible.
The Bake:
- Using a large scoop, fill the 12 paper liners equally. It should be close to the top. If desired, sprinkle some turbinado sugar over the batter.
- Place pan on rack and set timer for 5 minutes. When the timer goes off, set oven temperature to 350℉. Reset timer for 15 minutes. Do not open the oven.
- Remove pan from oven and onto a cooling rack for about 5 minutes. Then remove the muffins and allow them to continue to cool on rack.
