Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

And that’s saying something, folks, because she’s my pickiest.  I opted for breakfast for dinner tonight because, well, it’s what sounded good, and my energy level isn’t exactly impressive at the moment.  I picked two recipes and gave my girlies the choice; I didn’t ask the boy, since he’s guilty of choosing something and then not eating it on an almost daily basis.  They voted for these Apple Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins, and let me tell you, they were lovely.

I didn’t actually change them up much, either.  I subbed maybe 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour instead of using all white; since it gave you a range on the amount of chopped apple, and I had barely over two cups when I’d peeled and chopped one old tiny one and one big Costco one, I stopped there.  (I probably would have been happy with more, but I was feeling lazy and I’d met the minimum.)  I opted to use up the last of my dark brown sugar instead of using light, but that was a ‘it’s drying out, there’s not much left, and it fits the flavor profile’ kind of decision.  And I put sugar on top of some and not others as a ‘is it worth the extra sugar?’ kind of experiment.  (Oh, and I used salted butter.  Because I didn’t care and I haven’t found that it matters.)

Okay, that sounds like more changes than it felt like, but I promise you, they weren’t significant.  And the muffins were tasty.  I could have chopped the apples into smaller pieces, but they were still good the way they were.  I enjoyed them so much partly because the pumpkin was mild–I want to like the taste of pumpkin better than I do, really–and partly because there was a nice mix of spices.  I love cinnamon and nutmeg and cloves, and I’m okay with smaller amounts of ginger and allspice.  (I don’t particularly care for strong ginger flavor; I’m fine with allspice, but it seems like such a weak and vague sort of spice to me.  Really, I’m just nuts for nutmeg.)  These proportions were perfect.  My friend Britt pointed out that she’s not in the mood for pumpkin anymore–the time has come and gone–and my friend Andrea would likely agree, but the New Englander in me is up for fall flavors pretty much all the time.  (And like I said, the pumpkin was mild.)

In summation–because that’s a fun phrase to use now and then–I liked these muffins better than several other recipes of a similar type that I’ve tried.  They’re worth making.

If you’re in the mood, that is.