TWD: Pumpkin Muffins

You know the really great thing about joining in with a group like Tuesdays with Dorie, where the choice of what to make is out of your hands? It forces you, if you are brave enough to just go for it, to try things you know you otherwise would not have tried to make. Today's recipe choice for the Pumpkin Muffins in Baking From My Home To Yours, as chosen by Kelly of Sounding My Barbaric Gulp, is a perfect example of this for me. Why? Well, I don't like pumpkin. Right? Right? {{crickets chirping}}

I wasn't excited to make this recipe. At all. Even as I was making these I wasn't excited, but I knew I was going to do it anyway and just put some faith in some others and go for it. Oh. Oh oh oh. I am SO glad that I did. I loved these.

Now, obviously there are no raisins in our muffins, but seriously, you didn't expect to see them here did you? I replaced the raisins with some mini chocolate chips. The only other changes I made were to replace the allspice in the recipe with some ground cloves, really just because I didn't have any allspice on hand and didn't want to make a run to the store. I also sprinkled raw sugar on top of the muffins because, let's just face it, it is pretty obvious I am just a sugar lovin' girl and can't resist that sugary crunch on basically any kind of muffin. These were no exception.

I want to try this recipe again sometime with sweet potato as well because I think they would be really good that way. I also want to try it with white chocolate and maybe some pumpkin seends on top.

So, another heartfelt thank you to TWD and to Kelly for helping me get out of my baking, and eating, comfort zone and find out there is something else I do love. Now, I'm not saying that I now love pumpkin everything, because I know I've had some really bad pumpkin stuff before, but as Dorie indicates in the book, these muffins should be the bar by which all other pumpkin muffins should be set by.

Make sure to grab your copy of BFMHTY and join in the fun before Oct. 31st if you are inclined to jump in - time is almost up! Check out the TWD blogroll to see all the other pumpkin-y goodness running around out there today!