Thanksgiving Muffins

Floyd Michael loves these, and they don’t even contain chocolate!

Thanksgiving Muffins

Adapted from King Arthur Flour

1 cup pumpkin purée
2 large eggs
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon molasses
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons apple pie spice (or pumpkin pie spice)
1/2 cup milk
1 cup cinnamon chips
1 cup dried cranberries
1-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon coarse white sparkling sugar -- for topping; optional or Swedish pearl sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Grease 12 wells of a standard muffin pan.

In a large bowl whisk together the pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, oil, molasses, salt, spices, milk, and cinnamon chips.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and baking soda together. Stir in the dried cranberries. Add all at once to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined.

Cover the bowl, and let the batter rest for 30 minutes. REALLY. LET IT REST. It makes a difference.

Deposit the batter by the generous 1/4-cupful (a slightly heaped muffin scoop works well here) into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with about 1/2 teaspoon coarse sparkling sugar or Swedish pearl sugar, if desired (I have used regular granular sugar which works just fine).

Bake for 20 to 21 minutes.

Remove the muffins from the oven, and tilt them in their individual wells to cool (this prevents their bottoms from steaming and becoming tough).