Pumpkin Muffins

It's fall!

And honestly, I love all four months of the year pretty equally, but there's just something about fall that I absolutely melt for. There's something I can never get over about the season. I don't know if its the fresh picked apples, the hot mulled cider, snugging in massive piles of blankets, or walking through an ocean of crunchy brightly colored leaves while breathing in that crisp fall air. Maybe it's just that fall smell.

Whatever the reason, or reasons for that matter, fall just makes me all warm and cozy feeling. And, of course, that feeling makes me gravitate towards the kitchen. You get all these great flavors to work with, like apple, squash, pumpkin, corn, ginger, potatoes, cinnamon, nutmeg.

One of my favorites is apple. I live in New England, and apples are kind of a big deal here. ..Like a really big deal. We do everything apple: apple pie, apple sauce, apple cider, apple cobbler, apple crisp, caramel apples, apple cider donuts, apples with peanut butter, apple cinnamon oatmeal, just plain apples; and the list goes on.

But that's not what I'm going to talk about.

Today, I want to talk pumpkin. The thing about pumpkin and squash is that you can keep them forever.  And by forever, I don't mean a couple weeks. I mean a really really long time. And when you do decided to cut them open, they're packed with nutrients, flavor, aroma, and they're really filling. And to make it even better, there are a million things you can do with them. One of my favorites is squash soup. It's really yummy. You can find one version of my squash soup here.

But the recipe I really want to share with you today is vegan pumpkin muffins. I make them every fall. A few times every fall. And sometimes during other parts of the year. And you know what's crazy? I use canned pumpkin for them. I never use canned pumpkin. Growing up, my mom and my grandma told me to never use it. In my family we make our pumpkin pies from scratch and that's just how it is and how it always will be.

In my opinion, the canned stuff doesn't have the fresh taste that a squash you cook yourself does. It doesn't have as nice a texture or flavor or smell. But this recipe uses canned pumpkin, and despite my family's rejection of even the concept of squeezing a squash into a can, we really love them. Although I would not put it in a pie, I think that the canned pumpkin works well in this recipe because it's used in muffins. Muffins are so completely different then a pie. Rather than a custardy filling. It's baked in with flour. It's just different, and it works. So I won't argue.

And in fact, I've never tried this recipe with fresh pumpkin, because I'm so satisfied with the canned stuff. Plus it is a little less time consuming. And although I would like to try it with fresh pumpkin when I get around to it, I think I'll probably stick with the canned stuff for this recipe.

So here it is. I hope you like it. I hope they make you feel warm and cozy inside. They're really delicious paired with hot mulled cider. And if you've never experienced fall in New England, you should definitely visit.

Pumpkin Muffins
3.5 cups flour
3 cups sugar
2 Tbl baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ground clove
1 can pumpkin puree (get the puree NOT the pumpkin pie filling)
1 cup soymilk (I prefer unsweetened)
1 cup canola oil
4 Tbl molasses

1. Preheat oven to 400 bake
2. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl
3. In a larger bowl mix all wet ingredients
4. Slowly mix dry into wet ingredients. Let sit for a few minutes
5. Meanwhile, grease and flour muffin tins, or use those little cupcake/muffin papers
6. Scoop batter into pans, filling each cup 2/3 of the way
7. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until a toothpick can be stuck in the middle and come out clean.
8. Remove from oven and let sit for 4 or 5 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool on a cooling rack.