Contributor: Sarah Robertson

It’s October and for me that means holiday baking season has officially started. Canned pumpkin seems to literally leap into my grocery cart this time of year.  Tired of being lonely and forgotten on the shelves, it is ready to be the star in my baked confections once again.

Canned pumpkin is also full of Vitamin A, beta carotene, and fiber so since I’m always on a mission to pack nutrition into my little guy’s snacks, it’s one of my favorite ingredients to use in muffins. This recipe makes 12 of them plus a loaf of bread. I usually sprinkle nuts on the bread for the adult noshers of the group and leave the perfectly portioned muffins plain for the (potentially) picky little people. Note: Both the muffins and the bread freeze beautifully for a month or two. Just wrap tightly in aluminum foil.

What you’ll need:

• 3 1/3 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon  baking powder 
• 2 teaspoons  baking soda 
• 1 teaspoon  salt 
• 2 teaspoons  ground cinnamon 
• 1 and 2/3 cups  granulated sugar 
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup  canola oil
• 1/2 cup  low-fat buttermilk 
• 1/2 cup  water 
• 15 oz can pumpkin 
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
• 12 Muffin cup liners and cooking oil

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, spray bread pan with cooking oil, and place liners in the muffin tin.

Combine flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl. Set aside.

Mix sugar, eggs, oil, buttermilk, water and canned pumpkin until well combined. Next add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and stir until just combined.

Spoon batter into the muffin cups; filling about 2/3 of the way. Spread the remaining batter in loaf pans and sprinkle nuts on top. Bake muffins for 16-18 min or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Continue baking the bread for another 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

And last but not least, your house will smell heavenly after baking these.  Think autumn personified.

Sarah Murphy Robertson, 30A EATS contributor, has relished all things food and language for as long as she can remember. She’s worked in television production for the Food Network, focused on recipe development for Food Republic’s website, and overseen the food donation efforts for the Atlanta Food Bank. Nearly three years after their move to 30A, she and her family are enjoying life as locals and eating it up!

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