Pumpkin Muffins

Muffins are one of those recipes that I'm never entirely satisfied with. Partly because I insist on baking them with hardly any fat & a lot of wholemeal flour, partly because there are some recipes that I just tweak into infinity (like cornbread & spaghetti squash with mushrooms), always adjusting & altering the recipe a little bit each time. There may come a day when I finally crack it & have the perfect recipe, but not have written anything down anyway!
In the meantime (while I keep tilting at my windmills), this comes pretty close, and I'll be fiddling around with the recipe (replacing the milk with cream cheese). I used cranberries this time, but any dried fruit, chopped pecans, walnuts or plain chocolate chips will work well too.

Pumpkin Muffins

225g wholemeal flour (I used spelt, but you can use any. You can even use plain flour, which will give you a lighter, fluffier muffin. Not everyone likes chomping on grit!)
200g mashed cooked pumpkin
1 egg
50ml groundnut or vegetable oil
100ml milk
75g demerara sugar
75g dried cranberries
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 200C/400F. line a muffin tin with paper cups. Mix together egg, pumpkin, oil, milk & sugar. Stir in the spices, cranberries & baking powder. Add the flour & stir until everything is incorporated. Spoon into paper cases & bake 20-25 minutes, or until risen & golden.

Fruity Pumpkin Scones

Another sweet recipe here. I don't usually make a lot of sweet things. I'll happily whip up a cake if visiting people for dinner, or a coconut & mango rice pudding if MikeyFox & I have a rare (usually Great British Bakeoff related) urge for pudding. But mostly I'd rather eat an apple. But right now I'm in need of comfort, and these still warm from the oven are pretty damn comforting.

Fruity Pumpkin Scones

250g wholemeal spelt flour (or plain flour, I just use it because I like my scones dense & nutty*)
50g demerara sugar
50g butter
100g mashed cooked pumpkin
75g dried mixed fruit
50ml milk
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Preheat oven to 200C. Line a large baking sheet with greaseproof paper or dust with flour. Combine flour, spices, raising agents & sugar in a bowl. Rub in the butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the pumpkin mixture, and add as much milk as you need to bring it together into soft dough (how much depends on how wet your pumpkin is, you might not even need milk at all). Flop the dough onto a floured surface & roll out 3 or 4cm thick. Cut out shapes (I used a pumpkin cookie cutter, but you can use anything to hand) & arrange on the baking sheet. Brush the tops with a little milk & bake for 20-25 minutes, or until risen & golden on top.
Serve warm or cold with butter, or cottage cheese and a cup of tea.

*Cue I-like-my-women-like-I-like-my-scones jokes (covered in BEES!)