Pumpkin muffins can be a nutritious treat for home bakers. They can be made with mashed pumpkin or homemade pumpkin puree and can be flavored with various spices and ingredients such as sliced apples, pears, cranberries, figs, or dates. Butternut squash muffins can also be made without butter and can be mixed with cornmeal for a crunchy texture.
Pumpkin muffins are muffins with pumpkin puree added to the batter. While not wildly popular in most restaurants, these flavorful, autumnal muffins can be a nutritious treat for the home baker. Muffin batter flavors for pumpkin muffins can be anything from vanilla and cinnamon to orange. Home bakers can also add extra ingredients to pumpkin muffins to add extra flavor and nutritional value.
Most pumpkin muffins start with mashed pumpkin. Grocery stores may sell commercial versions of this ingredient right next to canned squash. Specialty and health food stores may also sell pumpkin butter and cake mix. These can give pumpkin muffins an instant delicious flavor because many of them already contain spices and sugar.
Another option involves making homemade pumpkin puree at home. This usually involves peeling the squash, cutting it from top to bottom, and removing the seeds. The meat is then usually diced and boiled in water over medium heat until it can be easily mashed with a spoon or other utensil. A vegetable peeler often works well for removing the peel, but some cooks may prefer large, claw-like peelers specially designed for peeling winter squash. These peelers are usually available at specialty kitchen stores.
Once softened, home bakers should dump the squash cubes and return them to the hot pan. This helps the excess water evaporate and often prevents the mixture from becoming liquid. Some cooks like to push the squash through a mill or ricer, while others simply mix with a fork or potato masher until it becomes a thick, thick paste. At this point, the squash should be ready to go into the squash muffins.
Many health-conscious bakers like butternut squash muffins because the moisture in the squash allows them to leave out some or all of the butter usually needed for baking. The pureed mixture typically gives the muffins a nice thick texture that eliminates the need for extra ingredients. Cooks should use their discretion when mixing the batter, however. If it doesn’t seem thick enough, an extra tablespoon of squash or a few cubes of butter might be just what it needs.
The appropriate spices and additions to butternut squash muffins are usually quite varied. Harvest muffins can include sliced apples and pears, cranberries, figs, or dates. Cornmeal could replace much of the flour for a slightly crunchy muffin. A drizzle of caramel glaze on top often brings out the pumpkin’s sweet flavor, while a dusting of powdered sugar adds just an extra dash of sweetness.
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