The Not Too Sweet Breakfast Pumpkin Muffins By GreenChef Kathy Patalsky

Photography Kathy Patalsky

Two lil’ Pumpkin Muffins sittin’ on a plate. One got devoured, and then there was one. One lil’ Pumpkin Muffin sittin’ on a plate. He got gobbled up, and then there were none!..None until you make more that is.

Fall in love with my two cozy recipes for vegan pumpkin muffins: Cream-Topped Pumpkin Muffins and Spiced Up Pumpkin Muffins. These muffins bake up fluffy, velvety and moist. Bake them this weekend! When I made u p this patch, it was a drizzly, gray-skyed, melancholy morning here in NYC. Too gloomy to venture outside in, but perfect weather for pumpkin muffin baking. There is nothing better than warming up your home with the smell of baking muffins.

One goal I had with the spicy muffin was that I wanted to create a muffin that rivaled Le Pain Quotidien’s Pumpkin Muffin

Lets start with the Spiced Up. In this muffin I add a hint of cayenne, an extra dose of orange zest and pumpkin seeds. These are my muffins of choice in the mornings, not too sweet and perfect slightly warmed. Goes perfect with a warm cup of organic espresso. For extra spice, try adding in 1/2 tsp of grated fresh ginger.

Now from my Cream-Topped. The cream-topped muffins have a silky layer of sweet vegan cream cheese/vanilla yogurt blend drizzling over top, as well as in the center of the muffin. Yes, oozing sweetness. I enjoyed both varieties and will definitely be making these again this fall!

One goal I had with the spicy muffin was that I wanted to create a muffin that rivaled Le Pain Quotidien’s Pumpkin Muffin (which is not vegan – most of their delicious muffins are vegan). And if you’ve ever seen Le Pain’s Pumpkin Muffin, I think I did a pretty good job replicating it. This is one of those cozy weekend activities, which really pay off. Your family and friends will love you, trust me, give it a whirl…

This Recipe Makes 12 Muffins

For the Fall Pumpkin Muffins 2 cups flour (I used Whole Wheat ‘white’ baking flour) 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 2 tsp salt 2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice dash of cinnamon dash of cayenne (optional) 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar 1/2 cup cinnamon applesauce 2 tsp orange zest 2 Tbsp vegan buttery spread, melted 15 oz Pumpkin Pie Mix, organic *since the pp mix is sweetened, there is no need to add additional sugar 1 cup plain soy milk 1/4 cup roasted/salted pumpkin seeds topping: extra pumpkin seeds

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add all the dry ingredients to a mixing bowl. Blend together.
2. Add in all remaining ingredients, fold well by hand. Stir until batter becomes smooth. This pumpkin-y batter has a dense body to it.
3. Add in or prep your toppings for whatever variety of muffin you are making (directions above recipe).
4. Line 12 muffin tins with paper or lightly grease the inside of each tin.
5. Pour batter to almost fill each muffin tin. If you are making the cream-topped muffins, pour batter in layers: spoonful of batter, a drizzle of cream in the center, then more batter on top, then a final dollop of cream.
6. Bake muffins for 25 minutes at 375 degrees.
7. Allow to cool a few minutes before devouring.