Sometimes, you set out to make one thing and end up with quite another. Which is exactly what happened to these Savoury Pumpkin Spice Muffins, and I’m rather glad it did.
These muffins are absolutely wonderful: the Autumnal baking of your dreams.
They are:
- almost bread-like, but cakey, making them perfect for all of your seasonal meal-time desires;
- just the thing for dipping and mopping up soup, chilli, curry and stew;
- so easy to make – these are a mixing bowl and spoon affair;
- incredibly light, moist, fluffy and almost creamy in texture; and
- a really lovely way to enjoy the flavours of pumpkin and spice, without mountains of sugar.
As you’ll know, this is a time of excitement for everything Autumn, and that most definitely includes the all-out embrace of Halloween, pumpkins and orange that takes place across the pond (as evidenced by the fact that as you’re reading this I am, in fact, celebrating Halloween in Portland).
But. I am also a serial tinkerer with tradition and the idea of a recipe, so although this started out life as a classic, sweet, pumpkin spice muffin, it just didn’t quite work. One of the challenges of creating recipes from whole-food, vegan ingredients and not wanting to use much sugar is that sometimes you just have to make something totally new.
And so, by using wholemeal flour and only a little maple syrup, I created something that is delicious, but nothing like I intended. I was encouraged by Dan to embrace my individual baking style and turn this into something unique – and with his great suggestion of adding rosemary, the perfect partner to all of our warming, spicy, hearty Autumn meals was born.
Hurrah!
- Dry
- 180g wholemeal flour
- 50g rolled oats (reserve half for sprinkling)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp dried rosemary
- 1 heaped tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- Pinch of good salt
- Wet
- 200g pumpkin purée
- 200ml soy milk + 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar combined in a jug
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- Heat the oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.
- Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and stir in the rest of the dry ingredients.
- Using a fork, hand-whisk the wet ingredients together in a bowl, then gently combine with the dry ingredients.
- Stir until combined.
- Spoon the mixture into a muffin tin (grease the pockets if necessary) and sprinkle the remaining oats on top.
- Cook on a middle shelf for 25 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
- Leave the muffins to cool in the tin before transferring to a wire rack. Once completely cool, store in an airtight container - these keep for a week in the fridge.
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