Pumpkin pie muffins

So not too long ago I said that pumpkin season was over.  I generally judge seasons based on when things are available in the grocery store that I used to work in.  That store not selling pie pumpkins combined with my overdose of all things pumpkin led me to make this declaration.  I now admit that I was wrong, but only because my craving for pumpkin reemerged and I have a lot of puree left in the freezer that needs to be used up ASAP so I can fill it up again with other goodies, like these muffins that were made with said pumpkin. 

So I decided to thaw that darn pumpkin and make something.  I'm returning all of the four bajillion cookbooks that I rented from the library tomorrow (if I actually feel ambitious to put real clothes on), so I had to pick out some final recipes from Ellie Krieger's The Food You Crave to make.  I love her books so so so much.  One of the first recipes was for these pumpkin pie muffins, and they looked intriguing enough to make.  So I made them.  And oh boy are they awesome.  They came out perfectly spiced, moist, and inhale-all-of-them-in-one-breath worthy, AND HEALTHY (in moderation of course)!  I wish that my mom wasn't allergic to pumpkin so I could send some to her and wow her socks off. The recipe was supposed to make 12 muffins, but unless she was making jumbo muffins she was way off.  I made 12 regular muffins and like 15 mini-muffins. Rating 8/10.

Recipe by Ellie Krieger
Adapted by Krista

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon (I used Penzey's Chinese cinnamon)
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 3 tbsp unsulfured molasses 
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin
•  1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup buttermilk (I never buy buttermilk since making the substitute is so easy.  All you do is place 1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar in a one cup measuring cup and fill the rest with milk and let it sit for 10 minutes.  Make sure to measure out the 3/4 cup of milk and not add in the whole cup.)
• unsalted raw pumpkin seeds (optional)

Procedure
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine the flours, baking soda, salt, and spices in a medium bowl.
In a large bowl or the mixing bowl of your stand mixer combine the brown sugar, molasses, oil, and one egg until thoroughly mixed.  Add in the other egg and mix it in.  Add in the vanilla and pumpkin and combine well.
Mix in half of the flour mixture and combine, then add half of the buttermilk and mix.  Repeat once so that all of the flour and buttermilk is combined with the pumpkin mixture.
Spray a muffin tin(s) with baking Pam and pour batter into the tin, filling each 2/3 full.  Any fuller and you will have to increase your cooking time.
Place in the oven and bake regular sized muffins for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, and mini-muffins for about 12 minutes or until they pass the toothpick test.