2010-11-22

Spiced Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins


I'm still working my way through my baked Halloween pumpkin bounty, which inspired an early morning quickly stirred together and popped in the oven while taking a shower batch of muffins.  (Is that too much information?  It's only to show how easy these are!)

Don't let the long list of ingredients fool you.  These seasonal muffins are flat out simple to make.  And the result?  Rich and moist with a crumb tender enough to make you cry.  It's yet another in a long line of vegan baked goods I would never, ever have bothered to try making if I weren't busy substituting for The Kid's egg and milk allergies, and so good I almost feel guilty for enjoying them so much!

The muffins' only flaw is that they aren't very attractive naked.  [Insert joke here.]  If you don't have any pumpkin seeds to sprinkle on top, then whisk a little soy milk into some powdered sugar and drizzle the glaze on top after they come out of the oven and have cooled off.


Spiced Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins
(Click for printable recipe.)

Wet Ingredients:
1 C pureed pumpkin
½ C brown sugar
½ C vegetable oil
1 Tbs molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbs ground flax seed

Dry Ingredients:
2 C all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground allspice
¼ tsp ground nutmeg

Additional Ingredients:
1 C sweetened dried cranberries + ½ C apple juice or cider
Baked pepitas to sprinkle on top

Preheat oven to 375F.  Place 12 liners in a standard muffin tin.  Mix dried cranberries and apple juice in a small bowl and microwave for 45 seconds, stopping to stir once.  Set bowl aside.

Combine all wet ingredients in a medium bowl and stir until smooth, then set aside.  Measure dry ingredients into a large bowl and stir with a whisk until completely mixed and clump free.  Pour wet ingredients and cranberries, including juice, into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir until combined.

Evenly divide batter into muffin tin.  (A scantly filled ¼ cup disher will do the job almost perfectly.)  Sprinkle pepitas on top, then bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out cleanly.

6 comments:

Ricki said...

These look wonderful! I bet they're incredibly moist--and the spices sound divine. (And they do look better dressed up, I'm sure.) ;)

Lindsey said...

Oh yum! I'm sure these are wonderful! One question, could you substitute raisins and get a similar result? Or if not quite similar, equally tasty? Thanks for the recipe!

Alisa Cooks said...

Oh yum, those look so good Libby! And they rose so perfectly.

Anonymous said...

They sound divine...but I usually eat my muffins dressed (I mean, I'm dressed...) sorry. 8th gradeing there...

Little Inbox said...

Hmm...the muffin looks so good, and I believe it's flavorful too.

Lori said...

I just made these last week (although I ended up using maple syrup instead of the molasses since I didn't have any) and they are GOOD! Thanks!