Pumpkin Muffins

When you think of fall one of the first images that pops in most minds right behind colorful falling leaves is a pumpkin!
Pumpkins for decorating, pumpkins for carving and pumpkins for everything from pancakes to pies, to breads to soups! What a versatile vegetable pumpkin actually is!

Besides versatile, pumpkins are an amazing source of vitamins and minerals too.
The amount of Vitamin A in a pumpkin is staggering...the vitamin A will help keep your eyes healthy! Pumpkins are also a source of Vitamin C, Vitamin E, potassium, manganese, copper, riboflavin (a B vitamin), iron, folate, B6, niacin and more! Whew that is one hard working vegetable!

Ever roast your own pumpkin? If not try....squishing cooled roasted pumpkin between clean hands, preparing it for use in breads, cookies, cheesecake or muffins is great fun! Save the seeds too you may just want to roast them to enjoy later!

Roasting a Pumpkin
To roast your pumpkin cut your pumpkin in half...right down the middle...side to side of "the belly" area as my daughter calls it, so the top is intact and the bottom is intact. Place face down on a parchment or foil lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 35-40 minutes (it depends on the size of pumpkin used).

Check it, if it is all mushy they you are good to go...if not in it goes for another 15 minutes. Keep roasting until perfect. Once pulled from the over, just let it sit as is for 30 minutes to cool, then scoop out the seeds (reserve for another use, and scrape all that beautiful pumpkin out leaving 2 "bowls" of pumpkin skin...which we have let dry, then filled with decorations for fall/Halloween. Wonder if many, many years ago these were used as bowls??

Mash your pumpkin with a potato masher or have fun doing it with your clean hands and place in a plastic bag until ready to use..keeps in the fridge for a few days or you can freeze it for later use.



You know fall is here in my neck of the when the orange and black Sweetzle cookie boxes start taking over the end caps in the grocery store.

You can make these with a topping like I did or just make them plain. You could throw a nice whipped cream cheese frosting on them, decorate for fall and call them cupcakes. You can also make them with a sweeter topping more resembling a crumble if you really want something, sweet, sweet, sweet!

Pumpkin Muffins with Oat Crumb Topping
1/2 c butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups cooked pumpkin *(1 small/med pumpkin)
2 TBS brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup crushed Halloween cookies I use Sweetzles (orange and black box)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla

Topping
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup oats
2 TBS brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 TBS butter

*You can use pumpkin puree in place of roasting a pumpkin...if you do roast your own pumpkin, just add 2 TBS brown sugar to the 1 1/2 cups of roasted pumpkin you will be using for this recipe.

Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add in pumpkin mixture or puree and eggs and beat until incorporated. In a food processor, blend about 12 cookies until smooth crumbs, set aside. In a medium bowl add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and cookie crumbs, whisk until combined. Add dry ingredients to your batter and blend until combined.

Fill your muffin tin - either using cupcake liners or greasing your pan well.

In a small bowl combine topping ingredients, cut with a pastry blender or large fork or your fingers until crumble, sprinkle over muffins.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until tester inserted comes out clean.

Enjoy!!