Pumpkin Muffins and Troublesome Ovens

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Muffins. Muffins are something that have caused me to question whether or not I can bake because for some reason they never seem to come out right. Every muffin I have ever made comes out without a muffin top. They for some reason refuse to rise and come out flat, looking like I just made muffin bottoms. This is a problem that has plagued me forever, and it never matters whether the muffins are blueberry, pumpkin, or chocolate chip, they still all come out flat. Someday I will solve this mystery, but as of right now I have chosen to accept it. I have learned that sometimes one cannot always control food. In my early days of baking I found that there were actually many things, not just muffins, that I was not good at. When I first started baking I found I was horrible with ovens, and that is still true to this day. Ovens are necessary when it comes to baking, but I have found that they can often become the worst of enemies.

All ovens are different. Meaning the time needed to bake things is slightly different for each oven. So when the directions call for the item to be baked for 20 minutes, that could actually be 18 minutes or 22 depending on the oven. There are also different kinds of ovens such as gas and electric, and different kinds of pans (glass or ceramic), which only adds to the confusion.  When I first started baking I made the mistake of blindly following the times that were given in the directions. This caused my food to come out under cooked or over baked depending on what I was making. Nothing I made came out perfect, and this was something that really made me upset, especially after following the recipe exactly. My mom always told me to watch the food, but she never made it specifically clear that I was supposed to be the clock. It took a little while and some help from my mom, but I eventually figured out how to make the times given in recipe books, work for my oven. I found that if I set the clock on my oven for 5 minutes less than the one given in the book, I could periodically monitor the food checking it every minute or so after the timer went off. This way my food never fell prey to burnt edges or doughy middles.

Once I figured that out, baking became fun again. Then of course, my parents got a new oven, a gas one. With this oven I found that things either took very close to the baking times given in books, or it went over them. Of all the things I still struggle with, I have found that muffins, and baking times are still what I mess up the the most. I decided to make muffins recently because we were all out of cereal and I wanted my family to have something other than bagels to eat for breakfast. I found a pumpkin muffin recipe in the “Healthy Harvest Favorites” issue of Cooked Fresh Magazine. I decided to make pumpkin muffins because it is fall/winter and I was trying to be festive.  I again however failed in my ability to give the muffins a top. They came out as flat as ever, but on the up side they tasted delicious. I highly recommend them as an easy quick make. If I were to make them again I would fill the muffin tins to the top so that the batter was almost spilling over the edges, maybe that would give them a plumper look. Even after another muffin fail, I have decided to not give up on them. Baking has tons of little quirks, but just because things are sometimes slightly over baked or are not pretty, doesn’t mean they aren’t still absolutely delicious.

 [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Cooked Fresh Magazine: Pumpkin-Spice Muffins

Ingredients: 4 eggs, 1
cup sour cream or plain yogurt, 3 cups pumpkin puree, 1 cup packed brown sugar, ½ cup sugar, 16 Tbs. unsalted butter (melted), 4 ½ cups flour, 2 Tbs. baking powder, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. salt, 3 Tbs. ground cinnamon, 3 Tbs. ground ginger, a pinch of cloves, 1 ½ cup golden raisins (optional).

Directions:  First heat the oven to 350 degrees. Then mix together the eggs, sour cream/yogurt, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, sugar, and melted butter. In a different bowl mix together all the dry ingredients, the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Once those items are thoroughly mixed, add it to the wet ingredients in the other bowl. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together adding the raisins at this point if wanted. Next grease and flour a muffin tin to prevent the muffins from sticking to the pan once they are cooked. Fill the muffin tins until the batter completely fills each muffin cup. Finally put them in the oven for about 30 minutes. Eat and enjoy!

Photos: Accredited to Author[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_images_carousel images=”9795,9794,9793,9792″ img_size=”400 x 400″ onclick=”link_no” autoplay=”yes”][/vc_column][/vc_row]