Puréed Glazed Acorn Squash Moons and olive oil add hearty depth and moisture to our spin on pumpkin muffins. Although feel free to sub in any cooked squash you have on hand, or even canned pumpkin. This recipe also works baked as a loaf (see note below.)
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup rolled oats (aka old-fashioned oats)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cup squash or pumpkin puree
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 packed cup brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 large eggs
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners.
Combine flours, oats, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
Whisk together puréed squash, sugars, oil and eggs in a medium bowl. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients, stirring with a spoon just until combined. (Don’t over mix or your muffins will turn out tough.) Gently fold in nuts and cranberries. Spoon batter evenly into muffin cups.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in muffin tin, and then turn muffins out, and cool completely on a wire rack.
Makes 12
NOTE: To bake as a loaf: Scrape the batter into a greased 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Bake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes. Remove loaf from pan, and cool completely on a wire rack.
