apple pumpkin muffins

Winter: cold, miserable and if you live up north: shoveling snow. Spring: allergies, rain, bugs only saved by spring break. Summer: ridiculously hot Georgia sun but fresh tomatoes, basil and the beach. Fall: the best of everything. Bugs start to die off, apples and pears come into season, not too hot or cold outside, (my birthday) and last but not least: pumpkins.

The pumpkin is a pretty versatile ingredient. It can be used in almost every way imaginable but my favorite way to eat it has to be in dessert form. While pumpkin pie is my favorite way to eat it, I really wasn't in the mood to go through the hassle of making a pie crust. Flour everywhere, the clean-up, blind-baking, etc. yeah, it wasn't happening on a weeknight.

Instead, I made apple pumpkin muffins that I ran across while reading Sandie's Inn Cuisine. I cut a pumpkin open, scooped out the seeds, roasted them for about 45 minutes or so. I pureed the pumpkin when it got tender adding hot water as needed to get a smooth consistency. Add it together with some diced apples, combine with flour, blah blah blah and 30 minutes later: muffins.

Wasn't sure how these muffins would hold the next day but they were still quite moist. So if you're feeling lazy and have some pumpkins on hand, give these a try.

Apple Pumpkin Muffins

Adapted from Sandie at Inn Cuisine, Makes about 18 muffins

Ingredients:

- 2.5 cups of AP flour, sifted

- 1.5 cups of sugar

- 0.5 cup of packed brown sugar

- 1 teaspoon of baking soda

- 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

- 0.5 teaspoon of ground ginger

- 0.5 teaspoon salt

- 0.25 cup ground nutmeg

- 2 eggs

- 1.25 cups cooked pumpkin (or canned)

- 0.5 cup canola/vegetable oil

- 2 cups of braeburn apples, diced

1) Roast and puree if using fresh pumpkin. Otherwise, skip this step. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2) Sift the flour, baking soda, spices and salt into the same mixing bowl. Set aside.

3) Add the sugars and eggs to another bowl and mix until whisk until light and fluffy.

4) Add in the pureed pumpkin and oil and whisk to combine

5) In thirds, add the dry mix to the wet mix making sure not to overmix. Just before the last third of the flour mix is incorporated fully, add in the diced apples and mix until combined and distributed.

6) Scoop mixture into lightly oiled muffin pans and bake for about 30 - 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle.

7) Listen to me when I say this: cool for at least 10 minutes before removing from the muffin tin and eating. It may be hard but just do it or...nevermind you're not going to listen to me are you.