I love muffins. I love cupcakes. What, however, is the difference between the two? When I asked my husband what he thought, his reply was something to the effect of "cupcakes are sweeter than muffins." Hmmmn. Are they really? I've definitely had a super-sweet gingerbread "muffin" that I have convinced myself was nutritious enough to consume for breakfast. And what about carrot muffins? Same ingredients as carrot cake, right? What if you slap icing on a muffin? Does that make it a cupcake? Could you serve un-iced cupcakes as muffins, and as such, pretend they are a healthy-ish food? (The lazy person living inside me likes this idea very much.) Out of curiosity, I did an internet search for "muffin vs. cupcake," and my computer nearly exploded. People seem to have strong opinions about their baked goods.
Well, whatever the answer is to this question, these muffins (cupcakes?) may be enjoyed either way.
I made an absolutely fabulous stew recipe this week (check out the recipe on Simply Gluten-Free) that called for pureed pumpkin, and I was left with an extra 15 ounces of puree. Sadly, I'm already sick of pumpkin pie (don't ask how many of the rum pumpkin pie bars I consumed!), so that was out. Since all quick breads have similar compositions, I decided to test my luck and modify last week's recipe into pumpkin bread.
As we were stirring the batter (I can't bake without one of my kids "helping"), my son Nate expressed his ambivalence towards pumpkin bread, but hinted that he wouldn't be opposed to cupcakes...I decided to roll with it, and out came our timeworn muffin tin.
Here's a shot of our joint effort before it went into the oven:
Since I wasn't sure about the baking time for this new recipe, I had to camp out in front of my stove yet again, checking for done-ness every few minutes. If any of my neighbors caught a peek of me through the window, I'm sure they questioned my sanity. Luckily, I took the muffins out at just the right moment. They were fluffy, golden on the outside, and tender and moist (boy, I hate that word, but there just isn't a good replacement for it!) on the inside.
In the end, my muffin crossed over to the Dark Side (well, cupcake side, that is).
Recipe:
Pumpkin Muffins:
(Makes 12 large muffins)
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
15 oz. (or one can) pumpkin puree
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon, plain yogurt
2 cups baking mix (recipe here)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips, nuts, or raisins (OPTIONAL-my kids don't like chunks in their muffins, so I omitted this step this time around)
Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, and yogurt, and beat until smooth. Next, add pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice and again beat until smooth. In a separate bowl, combine baking mix, baking soda, and salt. Add dry ingredients slowly to wet ones, and stir until combined. If desired, fold in nuts, chocolate chips, or raisins. Spoon into a muffin tin (either greased or filled with paper muffin cups), filling each cup 3/4 full. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to rest at least ten minutes before turning out of pan. Allow to cool completely before icing.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 8oz. package cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons butter, softened
16 oz. (one package) powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
Directions: With a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat cream cheese and butter on high until fluffy. Add vanilla and salt, and mix until well-combined. Gradually add in powdered sugar until completely mixed. Turn mixer to high, and beat for two minutes. Ice muffins with a spatula or piping bag.
Modifications for sea level: double leavening in both flour blend recipe and muffin recipe. Add only 3T yogurt. Frosting remains the same. Bake at 325 for approximately 25-30 minutes.
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