Golden Pumpkin Raisin Muffins

You are probably thinking: Oh no! Not another stinking’ muffin recipe! There are so many out there. I know there have been a few on the NaturalKids Team blog in the past. But I promise you won’t be disappointed if you try this one. They are so good you will make them over and again!

I hope you have some winter squash stored in your basement or cellar, since that is the main ingredient that makes your muffins golden and pretty. Cut up and bake that old Butternut, Acorn, or Zucca Barruca at 350 Fahrenheit in the oven. Hmmm, my frozen feet are finally beginning to thaw out in this cold drafty house…

Besides 15-16 ounces of processed squash pulp you need the following items:

2 cups of flour
¼ cup of wheat germ
½ teaspoon of baking soda
½ teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of ground ginger
Fresh Grated Nutmeg (kids love to do it!)
½ teaspoon of salt
6 Tablespoons of melted butter
½ cup of milk
½ cup of brown sugar
¼ cup of white sugar
2 large eggs
Several kid sized handfuls of raisins

How to make them:

Give your child a bowl and the list of dry ingredients such as the flour, wheat germ, baking powder, baking soda , spices, and salt. My kids really enjoy measuring and mixing things together. It’s such a great way to teach them about measurements and what happens if you get things wrong…But with a little supervision a 6-year old can do this!

In another bowl mix melted butter, brown sugar (make sure you work in all the little lumps with a fork!), white sugar, add melted butter, beaten eggs, milk, and pumpkin pulp. Mix well together. Add the dry ingredients to the wet pumpkin mixture. Throw in the handfuls of raisins.

Grease a muffin pan and flour it. You can also use paper cups, but these muffins are very sticky and will disintegrate when peeled off from the paper too soon! So if you want to eat them warm from the pan the greasing option is probably the way to go!

Bake for 20-25 minutes in preheated oven at 375 degree Fahrenheit!

This recipe will make about 17 muffins. This is another plus, besides the great taste, if you have a growing ‘tween boy who will eat 5 muffins in one sitting…