Pumpkin Muffins

I know fall is over, but I've been itching to make a cake with pumpkin filling ever since I learned you can combine a box of cake mix and a can of purée pumpkin, leave out eggs and oil, and make cupcakes (thanks Pinterest!). Unfortunately I didn't have any cake mix available, so rather than creating a simple mix I decided to harness the power of Google and tracked down a new recipe that includes eggs and oil.  I wanted full flavor capacity!

I pretty much followed the exact recipe, but I have some ideas for next time...substitute some brown sugar for white sugar?  Dip the finished muffins in melted butter and sugar?  Maybe even some frosting (despite the fact they are muffins and not cupcakes)?  I considered tossing some nutmeg or vanilla extract in the batter but decided to just add a little bit of extra cinnamon and see how it went.  They are so flavorful and moist...mission successful!  I'm definitely giving some of these out to friends and family.

Pumpkin Muffins Recipe

Ingredients:

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1  15 ounce can pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt  in a large bowl and mix.  Beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin, and oil in a medium bowl until smooth then pour into the dry ingredients. Mix until blended, then scoop into cupcake pans lined with papers until 2/3 full.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until browned.  To test if a muffin has finished baking, poke the top of a muffin with a toothpick and it see if comes out clean.  Delicious.