Pumpkin Muffin Bliss

Until my recent baking revelation, I hadn't had too much success with the desserts (see: iPile); especially delicate baked goods like muffins. Back in the November Gourmet, I was captivated by a pumpkin muffin recipe in You Asked For It. It seemed foolproof (and I won't lie, that's what I look for in baked goods).

The recipe had a short ingredient list (flour, canned pumpkin, eggs, flour, spice, and a few others) and I had an extra can of pumpkin from my unposted (?!) pumpkin pie episode so I figured I had nothing to lose. I didn't know the half of it.

These muffins came out in the top five best muffins I've ever had in my life. Perfectly moist, not greasy, not achingly sweet, just a pumpkin pie distilled in bread form. The texture was a bit denser and moister than typical banana bread. For some reason, I didn't have 'pumpkin pie spice' so I mixed my own of cinnamon, ginger, ground cloves, and nutmeg (leaning heavily on the ginger and cloves).

Next time, and oh there will be a next time, I was thinking about adding a bit more ginger (maybe even crystallized ginger) and some shredded coconut. I don't want to ruin a good thing, though. We'll see.

And I was inspired thusly to photograph the muffins. Check out the whole thing on flickr.



Technorati Tags: Food, baking, Pumpkin Muffin, Cooking