Saturday, October 19, 2013

Pumpkin Muffins with Cinnamon Chips and Pecans

Want a great recipe to try out this weekend? Well, look no further! I dare say that I created the world's most delicious autumn muffin! The aroma that floated through my house as they were baking was just amazing -- warm, aromatic and spicy!
I made these muffins with two American products: cinnamon chips and canned pumpkin pie mix. If you're not in the US, chances are that sourcing these products might be a bit difficult. Have a good browse on the Internet and see if you can find them. If  you're in the Netherlands, you can buy both at Kingsalmarkt in Amstelveen, or through various webshops.
No luck? Perhaps you can replace the cinnamon chips with chopped toffees or white chocolate. And, you can replace the pumpkin pie mix with the same amount of pureed pumpkin (diluted with one tablespoon of water and one tablespoon of maple syrup or honey. In that case, increase the cinnamon by 1/4 teaspoon, the nutmeg by an extra pinch or two and add another 20g of light brown sugar.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Muffins with Cinnamon Chips and Pecans
Makes 12
280g all-purpose flour
2 tsps baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
good grinding of nutmeg
150g cinnamon chips
70g pecans (roughly chopped)
80ml sunflower oil
80g sugar
80g light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
200g canned pumpkin pie mix
60ml buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 180C and line a muffin pan with liners or prepare with butter and flour.  In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon chips and pecans. In a small bowl, whisk the oil, sugars, eggs, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie mix (or puree) and buttermilk. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and combine with a wooden spoon. Do not beat vigorously! Just combine. Divide the batter over the muffin pan and bake for about 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow to cool briefly and enjoy!