PUMPKIN-CRANBERRY MUFFINS

I know I have been making lots of muffins lately, but they are so easy and I like them. Another fantastic reason is that they don't usually have as much sugar as breads and cakes do. Everything you see and read now is taking about how sugar is "killing" us. I'm not as strong as my DIL Sara who has completely eliminated sugar from her diet. I just try to stay under the 25 grams of sugar a day which is what the recommended standards say now for women.

I saw the original recipe in one of those little Betty Crocker fall baking cookbooks. They certainly looked like a winner to me and then with my changes, the results were not disappointing. 

I made them Sunday morning before going to Sunday school so my husband and I could enjoy them for breakfast. (I sing in a choir that sings once a month at the Saturday night worship service and we sang Saturday night. It feels strange not going to church on Sunday morning, but guess I will get used to it.) Later that afternoon our MO grandchildren came by to visit us while our son and his wife went grocery shopping. Seven year old Madison wanted one (She saw the basket on the kitchen counter where I had placed them after breakfast.) I cut it in half thinking she might not want the whole thing and I didn't want to waste it. Well, she ate the half and then ate the other half. She said she really liked the raisins. I told her it was dried cranberries, not raisins. She said she really like them so I gave her a small package of dried cranberries when they left. 

PUMPKIN-CRANBERRY MUFFINS

2       cups flour (I used 1 cup all-purpose flour + 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour)
1/3    cup stevia/sugar blend (or 2/3 cup sugar)
3       teaspoons baking powder
1       teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2    teaspoon ground ginger
1/4    teaspoon salt
1       cup canned pumpkin
1/2    cup oil
2       eggs
1       cup dried cranberries
1/2    cup chopped pecans
Coarse sugar, if desired (I just used granulated sugar)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 12 regular-size muffin cups with shortening or line with paper baking cups.

In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and salt with a whisk.

Stir in pumpkin, oil, eggs, cranberries, and pecans just until moistened.

Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.

Sprinkle sugar evenly over batter in each cup.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.






Remove muffins from pan to cooling rack.

Serve warm. (Fabulous with a little dab of butter.)