Pumpkin Corn Muffins

By now you probably already know that I am a HUGE fan of corn muffins.  I also enjoy an oversize hush puppy (with dipping sauce of course).  Pretty much anything that has cornmeal in the ingredient list appeals to me.

It took me a lot of experimenting to find the perfect corn muffin recipe but I did and it was the recipe on the back of the canister of ground yellow cornmeal!  I also discovered that my corn muffins were turning out terribly dry because I was following the prescribed cooking time.  Big mistake!  So now I bake mine for 9-11 minutes as opposed to 20-25 minutes recommended for the corn bread.  They turn out soft and fluffy and with a pat of butter, they are absolute heaven.

When I came across this recipe for pumpkin corn muffins, I knew it would be a safe bet and would not leave me with a super dry product.  How did I know this?  Because pumpkin makes everything moist and creamy without all the added fat.  And that is exactly how these muffins turned out.  They are sweet from the brown sugar and molasses, rich from the eggs, pumpkin puree and olive oil, and mildly spicy from the cinnamon and nutmeg.  They are super satisfying and make you feel like you're eating dessert for dinner.  These are perfect to serve alongside a big bowl of chili (I recommend turkey white bean pumpkin chili) during the colder months.  And with all of those extra roasted pumpkin seeds lying around, what better way to use them up then to adorn these adorable muffins?!  Just sprinkle a few on top before baking to add an earthy crunch.     

Don't get me wrong, I salivate at the sight of a hefty piece of cornbread, but I feel like you get more servings when you make muffins so I tend to lean in favor of corn muffins.  They make a huge mess with kids though so plan accordingly!               

 
Pumpkin Cornbread
Source: Sweet Pea's Kitchen

1 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 cup cornmeal
2 large eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon molasses

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease an 8×8″ cake pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, spices, brown sugar, and cornmeal; set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, lightly beat the eggs, and then stir in the pumpkin, oil, and molasses.
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until combined, and then pour the batter into the pan, smoothing the top.
Bake 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
This recipe makes 12 cornbread muffins, reduce baking time to 10 to 12 minutes.