You know how annoying it is when stores put out Halloween decorations months early?
Or how odd it feels to see Christmas items on display in mid-October?
This post feels a little like that — early, seasonal, and maybe a bit premature.
But I couldn’t help myself.
If pumpkin in August is wrong, I don’t want to be right.
I just missed autumn — the cooler air, the falling leaves, and everything pumpkin-spiced. Call it my personal utopia.
Fortunately, I had six (well, had) cans of pumpkin puree in the pantry waiting to be used.
I must have inherited the hoarding gene from Mother Lovett. At least my pumpkin doesn’t expire until 2012 — Mother Lovett’s might have been far older.
And she probably would have used it anyway.
I paired the pumpkin puree with juicy, grated apples and whole wheat pastry flour to make super moist, fluffy muffins. They turned out delicious — and undeniably orange.
You never know when a pumpkin emergency might strike. Last year I searched for canned pumpkin during a shortage and came up empty. My mom saved the day with a can she had — later I discovered it had expired the previous year. Clearly she inherited the expired-goods gene.
After that experience, I went back and bought every can of pumpkin I could find. Yes, I bought them all — the person who emptied the shelves. Sorry (but not really).
Pumpkin Apple Muffins
Makes about 12 muffins
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 egg
1/2 cup grated apple
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4–1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons melted butter
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. In a separate bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, egg, grated apple, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just combined.
Start by adding 1/4 cup milk and fold it in. If the batter still seems too thick, add more milk a tablespoon at a time until it reaches a scoopable consistency. Stir in the melted butter.
Spoon the batter into a muffin tin lined or greased, filling each cup about three-quarters full.
Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool slightly before serving.
Clearly I need a muffin rehab intervention. If you imagine me experimenting day after day with new flavor combinations, you’re right — I do have a soft spot for testing different muffin ideas.