Pumpkin Muffins

borrowed from Smitten Kitchen

Pumpkin Muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin (from a 15 ounce can)**
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice
1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Put oven in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Put liners in muffin cups.

Whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, 1 1/4 cups sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until smooth, then whisk in flour mixture until just combined.

Stir together cinnamon and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in another bowl.

Divide batter among muffin cups (each should be about three-fourths full), then sprinkle tops with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake until puffed and golden brown and wooden pick or skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

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


**I substitute homemade pumpkin puree for the canned pumpkin.

Pumpkin Puree

Pie or sweet pumpkins

Cut stem off of pumpkin. Cut pumpkin in half and remove seeds and "guts". Save seeds for roasting.

Place pumpkin open side down on baking sheet, bake at 350 F for 90 minutes. Allow pumpkin to cool, then remove skin.

Put pumpkin in food processor to puree.

I freeze in 1 cup portions as that is the amount generally needed for recipes. Pumpkin can be kept in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.

Pumpkin Pie

This recipe came off of a sticker on the bottom of a pie pumpkin. Adding to blog so I will be able to find the recipe in the future.

1-1/3 cup pumpkin puree
1 (14 oz)can sweetened condensed milk
1 egg
1-1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 cup hot water
Single crust pie shell

Preheat oven 375 F.

Mix together first 8 ingredients. Pour into pie crust. Bake 55-65 minutes. Filling will still move slightly when done. Cool before serving with whipped cream.

Greek Pita Bread

1 tablespoon of olive oil
1-1/2 cup of warm water
4 cups of bread flour
2 teaspoons of salt
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon of sugar

Place ingredients in bread machine. Start on dough cycle, will take approximately 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 F and oil baking sheets.

Take pieces of dough slightly larger than an egg and roll out on a floured surface to a thickness of 3/8 to 1/4 inch. Prick the bread with a fork in several places.

Place on baking sheets and bake on the lowest oven rack for 2-3 minutes, then turn the pitas over and bake for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a tray covered with a clean dishtowel, with another clean towel on top. When thoroughly cooled, pitas can be stored in plastic bags in the refrigerator, or frozen.

Before using, brown in a lightly oiled frying pan for a few minutes until browned on both sides. Also reheats well in the toaster.

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

1-1/2 to 2 cups pumpkin seeds
2-3 Tablespoons melted butter
1-2 pinches garlic salt

Toss together. Bake at 325 F for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Store at room temperature in a sealed container.