Pumpkin Muffin Recipe

It's hard to resist those spiced pumpkin muffins at your local coffee shop, but the hefty price tag often deters. Luckily, it's a cinch to make pastry shop-worthy pumpkin muffins at home, and recipe developer and registered dietician Kristen Carli of Camelback Nutrition & Wellness is here to give you her tips and tricks.

These pumpkin muffins are ultra moist, thanks to a whole can of pumpkin purée. Redolent with cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg, these muffins also boast a molasses-y richness stemming from the use of brown sugar as a sweetener. "I love to eat them for breakfast with a hard boiled egg," says Carli. "It's a great grab-and-go breakfast for busy mornings."

Served as-is or sprinkled with pumpkin seeds for added crunch, these muffins are sure to become a regular treat in your home. And since they last for up to five days in a plastic bag and freeze wonderfully, feel free to double the batch!

For these pumpkin muffins, you'll need flour, baking soda, vanilla extract, milk, and a pinch of salt. You'll also be relying on both white and brown sugar for sweetness, as well as two eggs and a whole can of pumpkin purée.

Like many muffin recipes, this one relies on canola oil as a neutral fat source, which Carli notes provides added moisture. The combination of spices — cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves — contributes loads of flavor. "These are fairly spiced," says Carli. "If you want to bump up the spice, I would recommend adding a touch more ginger and cinnamon."

To start things off, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, and line a muffin tin with paper liners to make the final muffins easy to remove and serve. Then, in a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients: the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Stir to combine, making sure to break any lumps apart with a fork or whisk, as these could create unfortunate floury pockets in the finished muffins.

Next, in a large bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: brown and white sugar, the eggs, the pumpkin, the canola oil, the vanilla, and the milk. Stir well to combine, ensuring that the eggs are fully incorporated. At this point in the recipe, before the flour has been added, it's impossible to over-mix, so feel free to let the little ones in your house have fun with the batter. It'll be just fine.

Next up, it's time to combine the wet and dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, folding gently with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until combined. The more you work the flour, the more gluten will form, which could turn these muffins tough and chewy instead of light and fluffy. So, stir only as long as you need to ensure that there are no more streaks of unmixed flour, and then stop, because your job is done.

Once the batter is mixed, it's time to bake! Distribute the batter evenly among the muffin tin cups, starting with less than you think you need at first — you can top them off later. This will ensure that you don't end up with uneven muffins. If you want to top your muffins with pumpkin seeds, now is the time! Either way, slip the muffin tray into the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until risen and golden brown. They'll emerge smelling deliciously spiced. We dare you to wait 'til they cool to dig in.