Pumpkin Spice Muffins

By Chef Selwyn Richards
Culinary Specialist

Although pumpkin muffins are traditionally a fall favorite, there is no reason you can’t enjoy these delicious, lightly-spiced muffins all year round.

This version is topped with coarse sugar for a decorative touch, but they are just as wonderful plain, or with a cream cheese frosting.

Tip: Make sure you choose 100 percent pure pumpkin versus pumpkin pie filling for this recipe, because you are already adding sugar and spices to it.

Photo courtesy of The Art of Catering and Chef Selwyn Richards.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
2/3 cup water
4 eggs
15 ounce can pure pumpkin
3½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon ginger
½ cup coarse decorating sugar

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line muffin pan with 12 regular-sized cupcake liners.
3. Combine sugar, oil, water, eggs, and pumpkin in a large mixing bowl and beat on low for 1 minute. Do not over mix.
4. Add flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger to a small bowl and stir to combine.
5. Add dry mixture to pumpkin batter and beat on low just until all ingredients are moist.
6. Fill cupcake liners with batter until they are ¾ full.
7. Bake for 12-15 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and sprinkle each muffin with coarse decorating sugar and return to oven to finish baking another 13-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Total cooking time should be 25-30 minutes).
9. Remove from oven and cool 5-10 minutes before moving muffins to wire baking rack to cool completely.

Selwyn Richards is an award-winning master chef. He is also the President and Executive Chef at The Art of Catering Inc. and is the author of “The Art of Cooking: Soul of The Caribbean”. Chef Selwyn can be reached at: selwyn@theartofcatering.com or by phone — (905) 619-1059.