Why Didn’t I Think Of That?
One of the things that my family enjoys eating once fall weather commences is a nice bowl of soup or stew accompanied by a piece of cornbread. Cornbread or cornbread muffins are always a welcome sight to see for both my children, and it is one of the rare items in the house for which there are never any leftovers. Recently, though, on a bulletin board I visit a discussion ensued about a pumpkin cornbread, and the light bulb lit up with full force. Pumpkin? In cornbread? Why had I never thought of that!
I started with the cornbread recipe I usually make and began by adjusting the oil. I’ve successfully used fruit purees to replace some of the oil in a baking recipe before, so my first step was to swap out 3/4 of a cup of oil for 3/4 of a cup of pumpkin puree. I also decided to add some cinnamon and some nutmeg to enhance that gorgeous orange pumpkin batter. At the last minute, I chose to make muffins instead of a loaf of cornbread, and I am so glad that I did! As they were baking, Zander came running into the kitchen, looking for where that wonderful smell was coming from, and he literally sat and watched the muffins cooling on the rack before slowly reaching out to touch one and declare it cooled enough to eat.
The pumpkin cornbread muffins are an undeniable hit! They taste fantastic, with just a touch of pumpkin spice flavor, which blends beautifully with the cornbread. Adding the antioxidant-laden pumpkin also ramps up the nutrition factor, and with just a few tablespoons of sugar needed, I can feel really good about the fact that my son sat down and gobbled up two of them right away. I can also feel good about the fact that I keep wandering into the kitchen myself for just one more. This recipe makes 12 standard size muffins, so you may want to double it if you’re cooking for a crowd.
Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins
1 1/2 cups yellow or white cornmeal
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3 tablespoons corn oil
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1 1/2 cups low-fat milk
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray a 12-cup standard muffin tin with cooking spray.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the cornmeal, flours, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Mix well to remove any lumps, sifting if necessary.
Beat the egg lightly in a mixing bowl. Add the oil, pumpkin, and milk to the egg and beat together until well-combined.
Gently mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, stirring just until combined. Some lumps may remain; this is okay.
Divide the mixture evenly among the 12 muffin cups.
Bake at 350ºF for 20-25 minutes, checking at 20 minutes to see if they are done. They will be done when a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Makes 12 muffins.
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Per Serving: 166 Calories; 5g Fat (28.0% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 26g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 20mg Cholesterol; 321mg Sodium.
NOTES : Make sure to use pure canned pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling for this recipe. Cooked winter squash could also be used in place of the pumpkin.
