Welcome to Muffin Madness! Let’s kick things off with the perfect fall muffin, made with the flavors of pumpkin, cherry, and autumn spices. These muffins are perfect for breakfast or a little after-dinner dessert.
The original recipe from Cooking Light magazine calls for dried sweetened cranberries, but I substituted dried cherries (regular or golden raisins would also fit the bill if you are so inclined). I also increased the amount slightly because 2/3 of a cup just didn’t seem like enough to distribute the cherries evenly into the muffins.
Rather than relying on butter or tons of oil, this recipe uses pumpkin puree and low-fat buttermilk to keep the muffins deliciously moist (only 2 tablespoons of oil required). If you do not have the individual spices for this recipe, you can substitute approximately 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice mixture with the same results (check out this recipe to make your own pumpkin pie spice).
Pumpkin-Cherry Muffins
adapted from Cooking Light
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 cup dried cherries, roughly chopped
Preheat oven to 375F and spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, ginger, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and cloves. Whisk to combine.
In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin puree, buttermilk, light brown sugar, oil, and egg. Using an electric mixture, beat 3 minutes on medium speed until batter is well blended. Gradually add flour mixture to bowl and beat at low speed just until all ingredients are combined. Fold in cherries.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove muffins from pan immediately; place on a wire rack to cool.
Serve warm with a smear of butter, if desired (or top with a little cinnamon-sugar).
