If you are anything like I am, back in November when all the holiday baking items were on sale, you picked up a half dozen or so cans of pumpkin puree to tuck away in the pantry. I was remembering how a couple of years ago there was actually a shortage of canned pumpkin, and as I like to use pumpkin in baked goods and in my chili, it seemed wise to pick up a few extra cans- especially since they were about half off their original price.
Well, that canned pumpkin has been hiding away ever since. I usually do add pumpkin to my red chili, but do you know I haven’t made a red chili in a while? I’ve made a few different (delicious) green chilis, and a white bean chili, but the pumpkin has just been kind of waiting for it’s turn in the chili pot. So while I do have thoughts of making a red chili sometime soon before warm weather arrives, chilly temperatures this week have also had me desiring to turn on the oven and do some baking. We’re back hovering around the zero mark here in Wisconsin, and while this home is far less drafty than the more recent homes we’ve been in, there still is that sense of chill in the air that happens when the temperatures outside get so frigid.
There’s nothing like enticing my children away from their schoolwork via the scent of baking muffins. It made me smile yesterday when Abigail meandered down from her room and her very last chapter of Algebra to bring a scrap of debris to the garbage- and to find out what that glorious smell was. Even bacon doesn’t always bring her down with that dreamy look on her face. But these muffins worked their magic, and as usual, are delicious and the perfect antidote to a cold winter morning.
I always think chopped pecans would be a lovely addition to these muffins- as would a sprinkle of demerara sugar before baking, but they’re just so good as they are that when it comes to extra additions, I just never decide to be bothered with them.
Pumpkin Muffins with Dried Cranberries
2 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1/2 cup butter, melted and slightly cooled 1/4 cup buttermilk or yogurt 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 cup dried cranberriesDirections:
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Grease or place paper cups in a 12 cup muffin tin.
In a bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. Mix well.
In a separate bowl, beat the canned pumpkin, eggs, butter, buttermilk and vanilla together. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix just until combined. Fold the dried cranberries in.
Divide evenly among the 12 muffin cups- they will be very full.
Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted near the middle comes out clean- 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool 5 minutes in the pan before turning out to a wire rack to cool completely.