Recipe: Spicy Pumpkin Pecan Raisin Muffins (2024)

This is my favorite time of the year, and not just because all the cabbage worms and blister beetles have been killed by

No, it's more than that. The pleasant crunch of leaves underfoot, the smell of woodsmoke in the air, the invigorating cool weather can only mean one thing—The Season Of Eating has begun.

Fall is in full bloom out here in the country, and I am ready to eat.

There's nothing like a crisp autumn day spent turning the compost piles or cleaning up

to stimulate the appetite. So what if the last few

froze during the night? The days of

and sorbet suppers are over.

It's time to pack away the tank tops, slip into those heavy sweaters, and delve into six months of serious eating. Favorite novels are forsaken as I fall asleep at night reading of

,

, and the best way to make sausage gravy.

This is also the season when forgotten friends and relatives suddenly appear on your doorstep, wanting to be fed. Of course what these ravenous visitors are truly hoping to find—as they cross over your threshold with their noses expectantly sniffing the air—is the heady aroma of homemade baked goods wafting out of the kitchen.

Since a disappointed and malnourished guest is a terrifying sight, it's always a good idea to have some little yummy thing on hand, like these moist, and filling muffins.

They're easy to make and taste delicious any time of day. Since they're not overly sweet, you can even serve them as an addition to bread or rolls at your holiday dinner. This recipe makes about 18 good-sized muffins, so you'll have plenty on hand for everyone wanders into the kitchen in search of snacks.

If you're expecting heavy hungry traffic, consider making two batches and sticking one in the freezer. Simply defrost later at room temperature, toss a little cinnamon into the air, and claim they just finished cooling.

The secret to nice large muffins is to overfill the muffin cups with batter. I use

to fill them. (These are also great for making nice round cookies; I have them in several sizes and use them all the time.)

You can make these muffins using all white flour, but the 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour adds more depth to the flavor and texture. Soaking the raisins in the orange juice makes them nice and plump, but is not absolutely necessary.

I usually use pecans, but I made this batch with walnuts, and there were no complaints. If you want to go the extra mile, you can spread the nuts on a baking sheet and toast them at 350° for about 10 minutes.

As always, I urge you to seek out local and organic ingredients; they really do make a difference.

are an organic best buy, and

is easy to find. Even

is becoming mainstream. I stock up on organic butter when it goes on sale (often for $2.50 a pound) and freeze it.

Now that I live several miles from anyone (and several states from any relatives), unexpected guests on the doorstep are rare. But I did hand a steaming bag of these muffins to some grateful deer hunting friends passing through the other day.

And that experimental loaf of

You can also make lots of bite-size baby muffins.

Spicy Pumpkin Pecan Raisin Muffins
Makes about 18 large muffins (recipe may be halved)

1 cup raisins
3/4 cup orange juice

3 cups organic all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole organic wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder (make sure it's fresh!)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg (a little less if freshly grated)
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup (2 sticks/8 ounces) organic butter or trans-fat free vegetable oil sticks
(such as Earth Balance), melted*
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup honey
3 large eggs
1 15-ounce can organic pumpkin (or 1 pound fresh pumpkin purée)
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted if desired

*Lower fat version: Simply omit 1/2 cup (1 stick) of the butter.

Heat oven to 350°. Place raisins and orange juice in a small bowl and microwave for 2 minutes; set aside. Grease muffin tins (I love my

).

Combine flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a large bowl and set aside. Combine butter, brown sugar, honey, and eggs in a large bowl and mix well. Stir in pumpkin. Gently fold in dry ingredients, alternating with the raisin/juice mixture. Stir in the pecans.

Generously fill muffin pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. (Bake baby muffins about 15 minutes.) Cool muffins in tins for 15 minutes, then remove from tins and serve warm, or let cool on wire racks. Store in an airtight container for up to three days or freeze.

Still hungry? You might enjoy these other sweet baked treats:

Cookies and Bars

(and how to hug a sheep)

Muffins and Scones

(tasty any time of year)

(four different flavors)

Cakes, Tarts, and More

Still hungry? You'll find links to all my sweet and savory Less Fuss, More Flavor recipes in the Farmgirl Fare Recipe Index.

© FarmgirlFare.com, the sugar and spiced foodie farm blog where Farmgirl Susan shares stories & photos of her crazy country life on 240 remote acres—and nobody leaves the farm empty handed.