Warm sweaters, colourful leaves, and that crisp feeling in the air make fall one of my favourite seasons. It also means lots of pumpkins in the form of Jack-o-Lanterns and tasty treats such as these Pumpkin Spice Muffins with creamy cheese frosting. I think I’ll be counting down the days until Halloween baking this recipe.
Pumpkin Spice Muffins
What better way to enjoy pumpkin than in a spiced pumpkin muffin with creamy cheese frosting and a hint of spice.
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups (300 mL) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) baking powder
1/2 tsp (2 mL) each, ground cinnamon and cloves
1/4 tsp (1 mL) each, ground nutmeg, ginger and all-spice
1/4 tsp (1 mL) each, baking soda and salt
2 tbsp (30 mL) butter, softened
1/2 cup (125 mL) granulated sugar
2 tbsp (30 mL) packed brown sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1/2 cup (125 mL) buttermilk
1/2 cup (125 mL) pumpkin puree
2 tbsp (30 mL) vegetable oil
Cream Cheese Frosting
4 oz (125 g) Canadian cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp (30 mL) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) icing sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Butter a 6-cup nonstick muffin pan or line with paper liners.
In a small bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, baking soda and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar, until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, until incorporated. Stir in buttermilk, pumpkin puree and oil. Stir in flour mixture; mixing until just incorporated.
Spoon into prepared pan. Bake for about 25 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly pressed. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to rack to cool completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add sugar gradually, beating well after each addition. Add cinnamon and vanilla; beat until fluffy. Frost cooled muffins.
Cooking Tips:
Pick up all of your spices from the bulk food section at the supermarket or at a bulk store. Additionally, look for fun treats to decorate the muffins into a spooky Halloween treat.
If purchasing pumpkin puree, be sure to look for pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling.
Prep time: 25 minutes
Baking time: 25 minutes
Yield: 6
Recipe and photo courtesy of Dairy Farmers of Canada. For nutritional information and other recipe ideas visit http://www.dairygoodness.ca/.