Wednesday, November 12, 2008

'HARMONY IN AUTUMN' ~ SPICED PUMPKIN MUFFINS

"There is a harmony in autumn, and a luster in its sky, which through the summer is not heard or seen, as if it could not be, as if it had not been!
~ Percy Bysshe Shelley

~ Glowing gift of light before sunset

(Michigan roadside)

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SPICED PUMPKIN MUFFINS
~ The addition of whole wheat flour gives these golden muffins a high fiber content and full, earthy harmonious flavor. Autumn favorite from Bon Appetit (Nov 2002)
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1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
13 cup sugar
1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup shelled lightly toasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1/3 cup lightly toasted, coarsely chopped walnuts
1 1/4 cups canned pure pumpkin
1 cup whole milk
2 large organic eggs
6 Tbsp. melted unsalted butter
2 tsp. grated peeled fresh ginger
  • Preheat oven to 375-degrees.
  • Spray 15 standard muffin cups (2/3-cup capacity) with nonstick spray.
  • Whisk both flours, both sugars, baking powder, spices, and salt in large bowl to blend. Mix in half of pumpkin seeds and half of walnuts. Whisk pumpkin, milk, eggs, melted butter, and ginger in medium bowl to blend. Add to dry ingredients and stir just until incorporated (do not overmix).
  • Spoon 1/4 cup batter into each cup. Sprinkle remaining pumpkin seeds and walnuts over. Bake until muffins are golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Turn muffins out onto rack and cool. Enjoy warm or store airtight at room temperature. (15 muffins)

15 comments:

Mireille said...

Hello Joey, your photos are really beautiful...The light is incredible and the colour of the trees, too...
Thanks also for the receipe,and I'll try it!
Have a nice day

Anonymous said...

That mosaic is lovely -- all those beautiful shades of gold and blue. And the muffin recipe sounds good, too!

Anonymous said...

There is always something good cooking here.
Donna

Cindy said...

Looks like a beautiful end to a wonderful fall day. I hope it wasn't too cold - it's always hard to tell in fall photos!

Roses and Lilacs said...

The light is hitting those tree photos perfectly. They look like they are glowing. Beautiful photos.
Marnie

joey said...

Hello dear Mireille, always a joy to hear from you. It was indeed a lovely late autumn afternoon. Good day to you also.

Thanks Nancy. The light was surreal as only autumn days can be.

Love good smells in the house, Mother Nature, especially from the oven.

Hi Cindy. Actually we were chasing a cold front that didn't hit until we returned home.

Thank you, Marnie. Those were taken while driving on the expressway ... I grabbed my camera because the light was surreal, hoping they would turn out. (No, I was not driving!)

Anonymous said...

Hi Joey, what a magical light for the fall leaves, I love it and could gaze at it for hours. And I love pumpkin muffins. Yum. I bet you get a lot of comments that contain the word yum. HA
Frances

beckie said...

Joey, you always have the most beautiful scenery. I love coming here to see you sights. I just printed out this recipe-we love anything pumpkin. But...I assume you meant 1/3 c. walnuts instead of 13 cups. I.m not going to wait until Thanksgiving for these!

Catherine said...

Joey the mosaic is gorgeous! The light is wonderful before sunset~gives everything such a magical glow~and you captured it beautifully in your images! The muffins sound scrumptious!:)
I know you've seen that gorgeous moon, and know I'm thinking of you bloggin sis! :D
Hugs
Cat

marmee said...

joey,
the light is different in autumn. i love it just before sunset. so many hues of gold. love your images.
ps.
love the post for veterans day what a great prayer for our wonderful country.

Anonymous said...

yummy muffins - looks like a good weekend project

joey said...

Yes sometimes, dear Frances. My taste runs wild but seasonal and loving to cook, often times adventuresome for some palates ;) But regarding the gift of light, felt blessed, as you, and had my camera near.

Hello dear Beckie ~ you are always so sweet and keep me on my toes. You think 13 cups of walnuts might be too much fiber? So do I and corrected the recipe. (Thanks dear one ... a senior moment, perhaps?)

Dearest Cat ~ Thank you special friend. A full moon would not be complete without thoughts from you. You know how special the shared thought runs between us. Tonight as I gaze at out moon, I will be thinking of you ...

Thanks dear Marmee for your kind words. I love November skies ...

beckie said...

Joey, never admit a senior moment! I say typo or computer glitch. :)

Unknown said...

Okay, now these... these I could make and keep around the house somewhat safely. Not that I wouldn't eat them all eventually myself, but at least they have some good fiber! ;)

By the way, I love the moon/leaf combination in the above post.

joey said...

Make a batch of these fiber rich muffins and pop in freezer, Kim ... good to nibble on and filling after a hard day in the garden. Thanks regarding the layered moon, a birthday gift to myself!