a pumpkin treat

we ran out of cereal on sunday. and with my next grocery store trip not for a few more days, i knew mr. pike needed something easy and quick to eat in the mornings before heading to work. breakfast is the most important meal of the day!

when we were visiting mr. pike's family last week, we had the most delicious pumpkin bread. and i've been craving pumpkin ever since. it was a good thing i had stocked up on a few cans of pumpkin when i was at the store last, because now i was putting a can to good use.

while i love pumpkin bread, i wanted to make a batch of muffins. an easier on-the-go breakfast. i looked online for a few recipes, found one that sounded pretty good, then tweaked it to fit my tastes. to see where my recipe started, click here. my version is below.

when mr. pike came home from work last night to the delicious smell of pumpkin muffins, he thought he was in heaven. (something wonderfully fall about pumpkin and spices baking!) then when he tasted the muffin, he knew he was in heaven. yes, these muffins are that good. i had three last night -- a pre-breakfast treat.

this recipe makes a moist muffin that's still light and airy. give them a try. you'll be in fall heaven too.

ps- thanks, mr. pike, for cleaning up my mess.

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pumpkin muffins

3 1/3 c. flour
2 t. baking soda
3 c. sugar
1 1/2 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. ginger

mix dry ingredients together, then add the following:

1 c. oil
4 eggs
2/3 c. water
15 oz. pumpkin
1/3 c. sour cream


preheat the oven to 350 F. prepare your muffin tins. fill muffin tins about three-quarters full. sprinkle tops of batter with cinnamon sugar. if you like, (and i do!) top with streusel topping (see below).

and bake for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. my batch made 35 regular-sized muffins.

you could also add your favorite mix-ins to the batter like raisins, chocolate chips, craisins, nuts, etc.

streusel topping
3/4 c. flour
6 T. butter
4 T. brown sugar
2 t. cinnamon

mix by hand or in the food processor until crumbly.