Friday, October 17, 2008

Kids Make Pumpkin Muffins

In my experience, the more ingredients, the better the muffin. That must be what makes these pumpkin muffins so good: two different kinds of flour, two different kinds of sugar, three different spices, buttermilk, ricotta cheese, vanilla.

What's not to like?

Pumpkin muffins proved to be the perfect antidote to all the pickling we've been doing in our food appreciation classes. Assembling these muffins required everyone's attention. Eating them was great fun. This recipe calls for making the muffins in a standard sized muffin tin. But I could easily see using a mini-muffin tin and having these ready as treats for Halloween.


My one reservation about the recipe is the use of granulated and brown sugars. I would love to know how to covert this into another kind of sweeterner, say apple sauce and apple juice, or perhaps even some orange juice. Any tips on conversions would be appreciated.

For a more adult muffin with a little kick, you might add a pinch of cayenne.

To make 12 standard muffins:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon each: ground nutmeg, ground cinnamon, ground ginger

1/3 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons canola oil

1/3 cup ricotta cheese

1 large egg plus 1 egg white

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree

Pumpkin seeds



Preheat oven to 375 degrees.



In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugars, salt, baking powder, baking soda, spices. Whisk together well.

In a second bowl, whisk together buttermilk, milk, canola oil, ricotta cheese, egg and egg white, vanilla, pumpkin puree. Beat until smooth.

Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and gently stir until wet and dry are fully combined. Do not overmix.

Spoon batter in greased muffin tin. Scatter some pumpkin seeds over each muffin and pat lightly into dough. Place in oven and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Allow muffins to cool in tin about 10 minutes before removing.

2 comments:

Beverly said...

Yummooo! Those sound delightful! I might have to make a batch! I love the addition of hardy flour.

Here is some info you asked for:

Molasses, maple syrup & honey are good substitutes for sugar.

Mashed banana, applesauce, avocadoes are good substitutes for oil.

You might also look into Stevia …it is available both powdered and liquid.

1 Tsp Stevia (powered) = 1 Cup Sugar. To make up the bulk or consistency that sugar normally would add can be replaced with applesauce, fruit puree, unsweetened apple fiber. canned pumpkin, fruit juice, yogurt, or any ingredient that will taste right with your recipe and add moisture. For everyone cup of sugar that is replaced by stevia 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of the bulk should be added.

Some links you might like:

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-Fact/5000/5543.html

http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/cat/549/

http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,sugar_free_applesauce_cake,FF.html

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Low-Fat-Cooking-3205/Baking.htm

http://www.stevia.com/

http://www.cspinet.org/nah/4_00/stevia.html

http://www.steviashop.com/additionaluses.php

http://www.steviacafe.net/cooking-with-stevia

I'm sorry...you raised a good question; I kinda went on a research-spree! I hope you don't mind. (we teach that which we need to learn?)

Love your blog,
Beverly

Ed Bruske said...

Beverly, thanks for all that great information. I will try it with the next batch of muffins.