Pumpkin Pie Muffins

We're definitely on a healthy eating kick here at the Walker house.  Combine that with the record-setting summer of hundred degree-plus days and you'll get an Adi who hasn't been turning on the oven...until now!  Yesterday the heat finally gave way to cool breezes and highs in the 80s (and rain!).  I really missed getting creative in the kitchen with all of this non-baking and beginning of school craziness so tonight was the night to try out my newest cookbook, The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger of Food Network fame.  In all honesty I never paid attention to her because she couldn't really hold a candle to Paula Deen and all of those glorious butter-filled recipes.  Sauteed vegetables or gooey butter cake?  Yeah, exactly.

I've marked a few recipes to try in this book that satisfied my old eating standards and my newer, healthier, less-processed ideas.  The first one I've tried is called "Pumpkin Pie Muffin."  Sounds like a good compromise to me!

If you'd like to try it for yourself, you can find the recipe here:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/pumpkin-muffins-recipe/index.html

It'll come out looking like these:

I did make a few changes (some on purpose and some, well, not so much!).  The accidental change was a whole 15oz can of pumpkin puree instead of just a cup. I also took this opportunity to use up some of the Babe's sorghum that Adam once brought me because he thought he remembered me eating it once and liking it (he was half right, but it was a sweet gesture).  I think these were changes for the better because I couldn't have imagined a better, moister muffin.  See for yourself:

Do you see how it retained its shape so well?  20 minutes was just right and none of them stuck to the muffin tin (except the one in the overflow tin that I forgot to spray...oops).  The recipe said it yields 12 muffins but she must be using a monster pan because my attempt made 18 generous muffins.  Delicious, healthy, moist, and pumpkiny...the perfect way to usher in Fall.