Pumpkin Chocolate chip muffins

The theme for this months Baking Partners Challenge was cupcakes/muffins and the star ingredient was ‘Pumpkin’. Yes, what we locally call 'kaddu'. Three amazing recipes were shared and given to choose from by three of our Baking partners. The main ingredient was chosen to celebrate the spirit of a festival famously celebrated mainly in the western countries called Halloween.

Halloween (or All Hallows Eve, Summers end, Witches night) is celebrated worldwide on the night of 31st October. It is celebrated by trick-or-treating, costume parties and carving pumpkins (Jack-O-Lanterns)

The history of the celebration of this day is that the date of Halloween, 31st October, marked the end of the Celtic year and was believed to be the day when the spirits of those who died in the previous year would come back and possess a body of the living to allow themselves to pass into the afterlife. So people would dress up in scary costumes to try and frighten away spirits which has now become an integral part of the celebration. 

If you are someone like me , I can totally read your facial expression right now. Muffins with Pumpkin!!

I mean isn’t pumpkin such a savoury thing!! And that too not really a loved one esp at my home. I understand Halloween is quite a lot about pumpkins but this was stretching it a bit too far!!

All said and done, I had no choice but to jump in this bandwagon being a member of the Baking partners. So, a tiny slice of this new devil was chosen, boiled and pureed to attempt half  the recipe. I wasn’t sure who will want to be my Guinea pig this time.
To my utter surprise the muffins rose beautifully and looked pretty okay. I had put some extra choco-chips on top to attract my guinea pigs!! And would you believe, after tasting my guinea pigs were actually asking for more!! They loved it !! My Pumpkin muffins was such a huge hit esp with the mild cinnamon flavour and the oozing choco chips. My little one loved it the most biting away the muffins with her most sweetest set of little teeth. Such a delight to a mother.

Lesson learnt- Do not be afraid of the Pumpkin !! 

The recipe was shared by Reshmi of Easycook

Ingredients: I halved the recipe to get 6 muffins

• 3/4 cup refined flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
• a pinch of ginger powder(or ground ginger)
• a pinch of ground clove
• a pinch of ground nutmeg
• a pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar, powdered
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree(I made my own by boiling  the pumpkin pieces in water and then making a puree) 
• a handful semisweet chocolate chips

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 180 degree Celsius.

Line 6 muffin cups with paper liners or spray each cup with some vegetable oil.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, ground spices, and salt.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and pumpkin puree, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour

mixture. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Fill the muffin cups evenly till 3/4. Add a few choco-chips on top.

Place in the oven and bake for about 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the muffins comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool.

The muffins were amazingly soft and surprisingly yummy with the slight hint of aromatic spices. And the pumpkin puree wasn't overpowering at all as initially thought by me. A total surprise package.
As said earlier, enjoyed a lot by family and especially bymy darling little angel, Vaanya. She demolished my muffins in no time !!

Happy Pumpkin experimenting!
Amrita