Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkins.  Pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins.  Why is it that every year when October rolls around, everyone goes absolutely crazy for these big orange fruits?  You can't turn around without smacking into a pumpkin.  Pumpkin lattes, pumpkin candles, mini-pumpkins covering every available flat surface, but most of all pumpkin recipes.  Lots and lots of pumpkin recipes.

I'm afraid to say that I too have caught the pumpkin bug.  In my defense, I have a stack of homemade pumpkin puree sitting in the freezer just begging to be used.

These pumpkin muffins have just the right amount of spice, just strong enough pumpkin flavor, and a hint of orange that brings out the pumpkin flavor perfectly.  Also, chocolate chips.  The original recipe didn't have chocolate chips in it.  In case you haven't picked up on it yet, I have a bit of a chocolate chip problem.

Note: I halved the amount of spice so it wouldn't compete too strongly with the chocolate.  The original recipe also called for a candied pumpkin seed topping for the muffins, which I didn't make.

Pumpkin Muffins

adapted from Flour, by Joanne Chang

makes about 24 muffins 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter

2 cups sugar

3 tablespoons light or dark molasses

4 eggs

3/4 cup orange juice (about 3 oranges)

16 ounces (1 can) pumpkin puree 

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 heaping cup dark chocolate chips

1.  Heat the oven to 350 F.  Butter, spray, or line standard muffin pans.  Cream together butter, sugar, and molasses in a stand mixer on medium speed 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy.  Scrape down sides of the bowl.

2.  On low speed, add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each.  Scrape down bowl again.  Still on low speed, add orange juice and pumpkin and beat until combined.  (Mixture will look curdled - don't worry about it.)

3.  In large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cloves.  Add wet mixture to dry mixture and fold carefully just til combined.  Fold in chocolate chips.

4.  Divide batter evenly between muffin cups.  Fill the cups almost to the rim.  Bake for 20-25 minutes (I start checking after 12 minutes), until muffins are golden brown and spring back when pressed in the middle.  Remove from muffin cups and let cool on a wire rack.