Pumpkin Muffins

 Pumpkin muffins are in many ways, the best part of fall.

That and pumpkin pie, leaves, Halloween, Thanksgiving, cooler weather, my birthday, etc.

 

The liners bled onto the pan, so my muffin pans now have little rabbits on them.

  "The Freshman" Verve Pipe

Ingredients:

• Softened unsalted butter, for the pan
• 3 2/3 cups pastry flour, sifted
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 1/3 cups superfine sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature, beaten
• One 15-ounce can solid-pack pumpkin
• 1 cup seedless golden or dark raisins
• 1/4 cup hulled unsalted sunflower seeds

Directions:

  Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400˚F. Brush the insides of 12 to 14 muffin cups with softened butter, then brush the top of the pan. 

  Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt together into a medium bowl. Beat the butter in the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed until creamy, about I minute. Gradually beat in the sugar and continue beating, scraping the sides of the bowl often with a silicone spatula, until the mixture is very light in color and texture, about 5 minutes. Gradually beat in the eggs. Reduce the mixture speed to low. Beat in the pumpkin; the mixture may look curdled. In thirds, beat in the flour mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl often, and mix until smooth. Add the raisins. Increase the speed to high and beat until the batter has a slight sheen, about 15 seconds, no longer. 

Using a 2 1/2 inch-diameter ice-cream scoop, portion the batter, rounded side up, into the prepared cups. Sprinkle the tops with the sunflower seeds.

 Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and continue baking until the tops of the muffins are golden brown and a wire cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 15 minutes more.

 Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove the muffins from the pan and cool completely.