Warm & spicy autumn muffins for Baking partners challenge : featuring pumpkin

This would be my second one of the baking partners challenge run by Swathi ( Zesty South Indian Kitchen) . I am luving it.




Reshmi of Easy Cook suggested Pumpkin chocolate chips muffin which is adapted from Baking from the Heart, a collaborative cookbook with Michael J Rose

Ingredients

1- Plain flour - 1 1/2 cups
    Baking soda - 1 tsp
    Ground cinnamon - 1 tsp
    Ground ginger (chukku)- 1 tsp
    Ground cloves - 1 tsp
    Freshly ground nutmeg - 1/4 tsp
    Salt - 1/2 tsp

2- Unsalted butter, room temperature - 1/2 cup (113g)
    Sugar - 1 cup
    Eggs - 2
    Vanilla extract - 1 tsp

3- Solid packed, canned pumpkin puree - 180 ml (3/4 cup)

4- Milk chocolate chips - 1 cup






- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Place rack in the middle of the oven. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners or spray each cup with a non stick vegetable spray.


- In a large bowl, sift together (1).


- In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

- With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and pumpkin puree, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Fold in the chocolate chips.


- Fill the muffin cups evenly with the batter using two spoons or an ice cream scoop.

- Place in the oven and bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the muffins comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool.


- Makes 12 regular-sized muffins.








Tips:


- In uk pumpkin puree is not commercially available and hence I made my own. It is simple. Take skin and seeds off pumpkin or butternut squash ( same family, same taste) and cut them in chunks. Pressure cook these with a cup of water till the first whistle. Puree this to ta smooth paste to use in the recipe above.


- For that extra taste use butter cream frosting and sprinkles of ur choice.












Linking this to:


What with my cuppa? by Nupur of UK, Rasoi and Me

I luv baking by Radhika of tickling palates

Halloween fiesta by Cooks Joy