Pumpkin Overload?

...never!!!


But, I did need to use up the leftover pumpkin puree from making the pie on Sunday, so this morning I decided to whip up some muffins. I kind of combined two recipes - one I found included dried cranberries, walnuts, and chopped apples, but seemed like the muffins would turn out dry (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/2851), so I decided to use the one below, and rather than 3/4 c dates, and 3/4 c walnuts, I would just use 1/2 c each of chopped & peeled apples, dried cranberries, and walnuts. I doubled this recipe in order to use the rest of my puree, and I'll freeze 12 of the muffins for later.


Pumpkin Walnut Muffins
Gourmet November 1997
Yield: Makes 12 muffins


1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
3/4 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
1/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons unsulfured molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole-wheat flour or all-purpose flour *
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup chopped pitted dates (about 4 ounces)
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts (about 3 ounces)

*I used whole wheat flour


Preheat oven to 400° F. and grease twelve 1/2-cup muffin cups. Melt butter and cool slightly. In a bowl whisk together butter, pumpkin, buttermilk, eggs, molasses, and vanilla. Into a large bowl sift together flours, baking powder, spices, salt, and baking soda and whisk in brown sugar. Make a well in center of flour mixture and add pumpkin mixture, stirring just until combined. Stir in dates and divide batter among cups. Sprinkle walnuts evenly over batter in each cup and bake muffins in middle of oven 20 to 25 minutes, or until puffed and a tester comes out clean. Cool muffins in cups 5 minutes and turn out onto a rack. Serve muffins warm or at room temperature.


Once they're cooked and taste tested - I'll update on how they turned out...



UPDATE:
1. Next time I will mix the brown sugar into the wet ingredients rather than the dry. I feel like it would have been better incorporated.
2. Doubling the recipe still only used 1 large apple
3. The batter seemed too dense and thick, but the muffins turned out really well
4. 20 minutes was too long, 18 was more like it
5. Doubling the recipe made 29 muffins
I am trying to resist eating more than the one I had to try them out...so I guess that means it's a success. I know MP will like them.