Saturday, December 19, 2009

Easy pumpkin muffins


I almost always bake from scratch but I have a few fun recipes that begin with a cake mix.  When I heard about this recipe, I had to make it right away to see if it really was that easy AND good.  All I can say is... yum.

This is the perfect recipe for last minute guests as everything is available in the pantry!

Added Note:  With just the three of us at home, we've had these last a few days.  They stayed moist for days (unlike other muffins).  Great when you need something to make ahead.

Easy Pumpkin Muffins

 Preheat oven at 350 degrees.

1 box yellow cake mix
1 15 oz. can pumpkin
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
(I added 1/2 teaspoon coriander and 1/2 teaspoon cardamom)

Optional: 1 cup chopped nuts or chocolate chips  (not used in muffins pictured above)

Yes... that is the correct ingredient list.  There are no eggs, no oil, just what is listed.

Mix together dry cake mix and spices.  Add pumpkin and mix until blended.  Spoon into well greased muffin tin about 3/4ths full.

Bake 20-25 minutes for average muffin tin and 12-14 minutes for the mini muffins.  (The picture above is a bowl of mini muffins with colored sugar sprinkled on top before baking.)

These can easily morph into cupcakes by icing with your favorite buttercream, caramel, or cream cheese icing.

4 comments:

Bernideen said...

Brenda: Love the looks of this recipe!

Vee said...

Your recipe blog looks great! Since you so rarely mention it, I've not visited as often as I should. These muffins are in the oven right now. It's such a muggy day that I turned on the AC. (Nan has COPD and really needs good air.) Then it felt chilly so I'm hoping that the AC and the oven on will improve things. I'll get back to you on them. The batter is yummy. ;D

Vee said...

For ease, these muffins were great! And they must have tasted pretty good because they're all gone. Every last one!

Deborah said...

Love your site! I saw the entry on Sweet Annie, and I wanted to say that I love the smell of it, too. I didn't realize it was related to rag weed, though! I've had it drying in our garage, and sometimes, I'll 'flake' the dried leaves onto my floor before running the vacuum. So far, no sneezing here, but I was hoping it wasn't harmful to my two indoor cats. I haven't seen any allergic reactions from them, so far. I don't do that often, but I do want to be wise in using it. I have also wondered if it could be incorporated into batches of homemade soap.

Also, I was looking through your recipes, and found this one! We love anything pumpkin, but this past year it's been very hard to find canned pumpkin. We're still being told there is a shortage of pumpkins here in the midwest, specifically Indiana, so I'm wondering if you know of a ready source to find some. I so appreciate all the great information, and the links here!

Blessings,
~ Deborah