I have been craving muffins lately. I am not sure if it’s because they remind me of cool mornings with coffee or autumn flavors but I had the inspiration for pumpkin muffins with High Water Brewing’s Campfire Stout. I have been holding onto my can of pumpkin puree deciding whether to use it for cheesecake cupcakes or something else when it hit me…muffins! Not just any muffins, but doughnut-style muffins. That means they will be not as light as your typical muffin and more cakey and in this case, covered in cinnamon and sugar.

Ingredients:

1 stick of unsalted butter (room temp)

4 tablespoons of pumpkin pecan butter (can use regular pumpkin butter or regular unsalted butter)

2 eggs

3 cups AP Flour

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 of 1 packet of powdered buttermilk

1/3 cup beer

3/4 cups brown sugar

1 15oz can of pumpkin puree

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two 12 muffin trays with non-stick spray and set aside. Whisk together all the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, allspice, powdered buttermilk) in a bowl and set aside. Whisk together the pumpkin puree with the beer in a separate bowl and set aside.

2. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until combined. Add the flour mix in three additions alternating with the pumpkin mix. Once just combined, scoop 1/3 cups of the mixture into the muffin pan or basically just fill the wells with batter.

3. Cook for 25-30 minutes, rotating once during the cooking process. Poke the muffins with a toothpick and if it comes out clean the muffins are done. They should have a little browning on the edges. Let cool on wire racks for 10 minutes. Melt a little unsalted butter to brush onto the muffins then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. The muffins are not really sweet so adding the cinnamon and sugar on the outside really helps round the flavor.

Yield: 12-16 muffins

Lasts: 2-3 days

Season: Autumn / Fall

I love this recipe. The muffins are pull-apart soft without being crumbly. The pumpkin is very present in the flavor and the crunchy edges make a nice texture contrast from the soft inside. This would make a great gift to someone or a nice dish to have for entertaining.