Inspiration + Pumpkin Spice Muffins (3 Ways!)

I'm gonna be honest. I've had a little trouble finding inspiration this past week. I keep searching through my mind for things to write about: things happening in my life, foods I have cooked lately, foods I have eaten recently. But nothing came rushing to the front of my mind. Hence the silence.

So, instead of writing about anything substantial. I'm gonna just give you one recipe, three ways. 

Pumpkin Spice Muffins (Original Recipe)
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Makes 1 dozen full-sized muffins or about 3 dozen mini muffins. If you wanted these to be cupcakes instead of muffins, you could always leave off the cinnamon-sugar topping and instead top with a cream cheese frosting once the cupcakes/muffins are cooled. This is the recipe I used for the pumpkin cupcakes that I made for the wedding a few weeks back.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
1/3 cup safflower oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice
1 cup plus 1 Tablespoon sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350º. Put liners in muffin cups.

In a small bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs, pumpkin-pie spice, 1 cup sugar, baking soda, and salt until smooth. Add flour mixture and stir until just combined.

In another bowl, stir together cinnamon and remaining 1 Tablespoon sugar.

Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Sprinkle tops with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake until puffed and golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. (If making mini muffins, it only takes about 15 minutes.)

Cool in pan on a rack for 5 minutes, then transfer muffins from pan to rack and cool to warm or room temperature.


Pumpkin Spice Muffins (Gluten-Free)
Ok, this one's simple. Replace the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour mix. If you have a favorite, use that. If you have your own mix, use that. My personal favorite that I keep in my pantry is King Arthur's All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour Mix. I didn't need to use any gums in this recipe as the cupcakes stayed together well enough without them.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins (Vegan)
For a vegan version, replace the eggs with a flax meal slurry. In a small bowl, combine 3 Tablespoons flax meal with 1/2 cup water and let sit for a few minutes until it begins to thicken. Follow the same directions as above, adding the flax meal slurry when you add the eggs.