A delightful start to the week…a day off, a day to get organized for going back to work. And a Muffin Monday treat: Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins.
These muffins are a creation of mine that I made for the holidays and am still enjoying; they are delightful served warm with a strong coffee for breakfast or with a cup of tea as an afternoon snack. I really enjoy baking – cookies, muffins, breads, pies. Sometimes when baking for a crowd, I stick with the recipe (Hello Tollhouse Cookies!), but 99% of the time I tweak a recipe to substitute oil, butter, eggs, always with the goal of keeping the results a tasty-treat.
My Quality Assurance Guy has a sweet tooth and I was shocked that even he enjoyed these muffins. Winner, Winner. They are hearty without being heavy, tasty and crunchy (millet!), and a touch sweet from the raisins and molasses. This was my first attempt at including millet in baked goods; millet–it’s not just for birdseed!
Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins
Yields 12-18 muffins
Ingredients
*1 cup whole wheat flour
*1 cup all-purpose flour (I use unbleached)
*1/4 cup oat bran (uncooked)
*1 tsp baking soda
*1 tsp baking powder
*1/8 tsp salt
*1/3 cup millet (uncooked)
* 1/2 tsp ginger
*1 tsp cinnamon
*1/2 tsp cloves
*1/2 tsp nutmeg
*3/4 cup applesauce
*1/3 cup molasses (I used un-sulphured)
* 1, 15oz can of pumpkin
*hand full each of walnut pieces, raisins, currants
Process
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and grease muffin tins.
2. Combine all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl; fold together.
3. Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl and stir together.
4. Blend dry and wet ingredients and fold together–do not over-mix.
5. Bake the muffins for approximately 15-18 minutes; insert a knife to check that they are baked all the way through.
7. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy!
These are best served warm. Please let me know if you try them or even tweak them to be your own. Happy Baking.
To read about the health benefits of millet, molasses, and pumpkin, check out The World’s Healthiest Foods . Type the food into the search category and you’ll get all sorts of info!
Apples and Arteries 