Tuesday, October 21, 2008

TWD Pumpkin Muffins

Posted by BAKE-EN at 6:32 AM




It's that time of the year again. The leaves on the trees have changed, all the bakeries are selling hot mulled cider and pumpkin is showing up on every menu in the Boston area. I have a love hate relationship with pumpkin. I love pumpkin breads and muffins. I love carving pumpkins for Halloween. The only problem with pumpkin is pumpkin pie. The only reason pumpkin pie's a problem is because we're going to be making literally hundreds of pumpkin pies next month! It's not that I hate pumpkin pie, I'm just not a fan of the anxiety I feel when I think about the logistics of baking hundreds of pies. Oh yeah, did I mention we're making our own pumpkin puree? No cans for us, we're a hard core bakery and we only use the freshest ingredients. Next month is going to be a whirl wind of pumpkin and pie dough. It's going to be so much fun, I can't wait to see how it all works out.

Why all this talk of pumpkin? Because Kelly of Sounding My Barbaric Gulp chose pumpkin muffins as this week's TWD recipe. The recipe was really easy to make, and I followed it to a T except I didn't add nuts or raisins. I was surprised by how thick the batter was. I've been making a lot of breads/muffins lately that use canola oil so I'm used to a wetter batter. This one was very thick.



Surprisingly, I didn't like these muffins. I am pretty sure that I overbaked them after reading what other people wrote about this recipe. Foolishly, I decided to would squeeze a quick shower in between putting them in the oven and taking them out. I got back just in the nick of time to take them out at 24 minutes. They were certainly done at that point, so I'm sure I could have taken them out earlier. It seems like other TWD'ers really liked this recipe though, so I'll have to try again soon.



16 comments on "TWD Pumpkin Muffins"

Engineer Baker on October 21, 2008 at 6:48 AM said...

Sounds like you've got a lot of work ahead of you - homemade puree, lots of pies, yikes! It does sound like they overbaked, as even my minis were very moist and pumpkin-y. They look cute though!

Marthe on October 21, 2008 at 7:18 AM said...

Too bad you didn't like these... On advice of the TWD P&Q I only had mine in the oven for 17 minutes, they were perfect!

Anonymous said...

I just love the thought of you making all those pumpkin things in a month and enjoying it so much...sounds so cozy and wonderful. Sorry you didn't like these muffins, but that just gives you an excuse to tweak it a bit to get it to where you would like them! Sounds fun, too!

Anonymous said...

i liked them, but they weren't any better than any other pumpkin muffin recipe i've ever tried. good luck with all that pumpkin pie-making in your future, oy.

Cathy on October 21, 2008 at 11:34 AM said...

Homemade pumpkin puree? Why, I didn't know there was such a thing! Man, I wish I knew where your bakery was -- I might have to take a little jaunt to Boston! Good luck getting through the busy stretch. Your muffins look great; sorry you didn't enjoy them more!

kimberly salem on October 21, 2008 at 1:54 PM said...

i probably overbaked too, they were a little dry for my taste. whew, i can imagine you'd get sick of pumpkins after making so many pies!!

Welcome to our crazy blessed life on October 21, 2008 at 4:28 PM said...

Bummer that you didn't like them. Maybe it was the overbaking... But making your own puree sounds good! Cute pic with the pumpkin!

That Girl on October 21, 2008 at 10:56 PM said...

Everything of mine always comes out underbaked.

And right now I'm wondering if my love of pumpkin pie would be dampened by making hundreds of them.

Sihan on October 22, 2008 at 6:56 AM said...

oh don't worry.. i figured out that if i left it in for any longer than 21 minutes mine would have been too dry and burnt as well.

Sorry you didn't like them..

Nancy/n.o.e on October 22, 2008 at 8:28 AM said...

I'll take two pies please - one for me and one to share! That will be a whirlwind for you, but how exciting. I thought the muffins were acceptable but not great (and mine were not overcooked) - they were just kind of bland.
Nancy

Sandy Smith on October 22, 2008 at 8:59 AM said...

I'm sorry you weren't pleased with the outcome - maybe you can redeem them by toasting and buttering? They hold up pretty well in the toaster oven. They look lovely!

Bungalow Barbara on October 23, 2008 at 2:32 AM said...

Sorry these didn't work out for you! And good luck with all the pumpkin-ing in the next month!

Marthe on October 23, 2008 at 4:17 AM said...

Yes, the muffin top is far too familiar to me too.... So happy it's winter: lots of disguises available ;)

Pamela on October 23, 2008 at 8:13 AM said...

These were okay for me, but I don't think they were spectacular or anything. I can't imagine what it's like to be in the baking world during the Holiday season. I'll be thinking of you!

AmyRuth on October 25, 2008 at 12:19 AM said...

Maybe more pumpkin? I don't know. I usually like pumpkin but was underwhelmed. Good Luck with all those pies.
AmyRuth

ostwestwind on October 29, 2008 at 10:49 AM said...

Sorry you didn't like the muffins, perhaps it's the kind of pumkin. I was satisfied with my Hokkaido.

Ulrike from Küchenlatein

 

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