Tuesday, October 21, 2008

TWD - pumpkin muffins


The TWD recipe this week is Pumpkin Muffins and was chosen by Kelly of Sounding my Barbaric Gulp. I love pumpkin muffins. When Mum and Dad first moved to Christchurch and I would go home for university holidays, there was a bakery in the arts centre which sold the most amazing pumpkin chocolate muffins. There were just delicious – spicy and pumpkiny with big chunks of chocolate. I was given a recipe a few years ago that was meant to be the one, but although delicious, they never quite tasted the same!

Ironically I got to bake Dorie’s pumpkin muffins in Christchurch as I went home for the weekend and made them to go with lunch on Sunday when my sister, brother –in-law, niece and nephew and Grandma came over for lunch. Apparently in the States you can get canned mashed pumpkin which is what the recipe used – we don’t get that here and I would be interested to know what consistency canned pumpkin is! Anyway, I steamed some pumpkin and mashed it for the muffins. The muffins also had raisins in them, which as you know, I don’t like! So I substituted chocolate chips. They also had nuts and I used pecans. The muffins were quite spicy with a mixture of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice added.



The muffins were a complete hit in my family from my 7 year old nephew, Griffyn (pictured about to bite into one!) to my 84 year old Grandmother. Grandma even took a couple with her when she visited her friend in the afternoon, and her friend, Betty, loved them too. I will definitely make these again. We all loved the spiciness, the moistness of the pumpkin and the crunch of the pecans.

See what the other TWDers thought here and check out the recipe on Kelly’s blog.

19 comments:

Heather B said...

the consistency of canned pumpkin always reminds me of wet mashed sweet potatoes or canned yams. I've never used a fresh pumpkin but I would imagine it's about the same. Don't quote me on that though! LOL. Your muffins look delicious! Great job!

kimberly salem said...

they look yummy! :) i wish i had done chocolate instead of raisins...

Snooky doodle said...

these look good. i love pumpkin muffins. Here I don t find canned pumpkin either so last time I tried them I boiled some frozen pumpkin pieces and mashed them. They cam out moist and delicious :) I ll try yours with the chocolate chips next time they look so yummy.

CB said...

Raisin haters unite! LOL. I think the consistency of the mashed pumpkin is the same as the canned so you done good! Glad you and the fam loved the muffins. Great job!
Clara @ iheartfood4thought

The Food Librarian said...

I love this recipe too! I've made them three times already and more to come! Yours look great and love the photo of your nephew! Precious!

Unknown said...

They look great...and I have a new appreciation for my canned pumpkin, seeing what non-US bakers have to go through to get it. I love the idea of putting chocolate chips in...I will definitely try them this way next time.

Marthe said...

I loved these and also had to make my own pumpkin puree.... Easy!

Cakelaw said...

I agree - these were good.

threesidesofcrazy said...

I just joined TWD for the 1st time this week and was pleased that the pumpkin muffins were such a hit here at my house too!

Heather hit the nail on the head with the consistency of canned pumpkin though I prefer fresh myself. Canned can sometimes be a bit dry.

Pamela said...

Looks like they were definitely enjoyed! I think the chocolate was really nice in these.

Jules Someone said...

Wow! You even made the puree. Good for you!

Engineer Baker said...

Chocolate's dark. Raisins are dark. Totally the same thing :) Hopefully these didn't disappoint compared to the muffins you grew up eating?

Di said...

I put chocolate chips in half of mine, too. They were really tasty--I don't think I've ever had pumpkin and chocolate together before. Glad to hear that everyone liked your muffins so much. =)

Anonymous said...

griffyn is adorable! and boy do i agree with you about raisins, gross. glad your muffins were such a hit!

chocolatechic said...

Yours look wonderful.

Fresh pumpkin tastes tons better than tinned.

Peggy said...

I can't imagine having to make my own puree for these. Kudos to you! I bet yours tastes delicious!

steph- whisk/spoon said...

i bet the consistency is pretty close...but the taste of fresh is way better, so probably had some of the best muffins in the group! and with choc chips--yum!

Bungalow Barbara said...

Some of the recipes I've read for home-made mashed pumpkin call for draining the puree overnight to get the right thickeness. So I'm guessing canned might be a little thicker and drier than home-made.

Glad your family all liked these!

Prudy said...

The look delicious and your nephew clearly enjoyed them.