Pumpkin Pineapple Spice Muffins

My belly. It’s taking over the WORLD.

…or at least it’s taking over my lap. The laptop has officially become a kneetop. And I’ve got nine more weeks left.

NINE! Never has this number seemed so immense.

A stranger said to me, “Wow! You’re ready to pop – must be due any day now?” – I politely told him to go take a long walk off a short pier “no”.

I have a discovered a good alternative to high socks on chilly days, since I can no longer bend over far enough to shave the bottoms of my legs.

And my sushi joint started including two sets of chopsticks with my (no raw fish) order. I think they’re trying to tell me something.

My appetite, accordingly, is also taking over the world. I think the baby is squishing my stomach, so I can’t eat much in one go… but that just means I am hungry. All. The. Time.

Homemade muffins are good, satisfying grab-and-go snacks of just the right size. I love these super-moist pumpkin muffins – warmly spiced, and studded with tender, sweet bites of pineapple.

I realize the trees are blossoming and the tulips are poking their precious heads out of the moist ground – and this is not the time you might crave pumpkin. But I’ve never extended the pumpkin-is-for-thanksgiving philosophy to muffins. Pumpkin muffins are for always.

Pumpkin and pineapple. I thought this was already a thing. But I’ve mentioned my muffins to several people who have been surprised. Haven’t you had carrot cake with pineapple tidbits in it? Maybe it’s a Canadian thing. It’s a really good Canadian thing, if that’s the case.

Pineapple and ginger are a natural pair. And pumpkin and ginger are practically married. So why not pumpkin, pineapple and ginger?

Pumpkin Pineapple Spice Muffins

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Author: Jennifer Hill

Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp allspice
• 2 cups pumpkin puree (if using canned, choose 100% pure pumpkin – not pumpkin pie filling)
• ⅔ cup vegetable oil
• ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup pineapple chunks (drained, if canned, or cut in ¼” pieces if fresh)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the four, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger and allspice.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, vegetable oil, brown sugar, vanilla and eggs. Add to the flour mixture and stir gently until just incorporated (I use a sturdy silicone spatula and fold it in – scraping the dry flour from the bottom over top of the wet ingredients). When there are just a few floury streaks left, add the pineapple and fold it in to just combine. Never over-mix muffins, or they will be tough.
4. Spoon batter evenly amongst 12 paper-lined or greased muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until tops look dry and spring back a bit when lightly pressed in the centre.

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