Cinnamon Pumpkin Seed Muffins

We had fun in Minneapolis last weekend. How about you? Did you have a romantic Valentine’s? Or maybe just a fun one with the whole family?

We spent a very steamy Valentine’s Day at IKEA, no joke, it was hot in there, and then went to our favorite pizza place….twice. Going out to eat on Valentine’s night is a fun study in human behavior. You had the couples who were with their kids (us) and are just happy to have a night off from dish duty. Then you had the older couples who quite possibly forgot it was Valentine’s Day and just wanted some pizza, and then the younger couples, one half of which maybe had higher expectations than the other and were totally not okay with being at a most unromantic pizza place for their Valentine’s date. I saw one woman wolf down her pizza, then leave alone, her date following close behind with their sodas—just leave the sodas, dude. Leave. the. sodas.

After the museum on Sunday we had creamy, dreamy gelato at Crema Cafe. I had a most excellent affogato made with cardamom-black pepper gelato. Ohhhh, so good. For dinner that night we enjoyed steaming bowls of ramen, pork belly steamed buns, and charred broccoli with togarashi at Masu. Its hard to say which I enjoyed more, both places were delicious.

Now we’re home and fending for ourselves again; having to wash our own dishes and everything. It is bitterly cold and I have been baking simply for the sake of making it seem logical to have the oven on. These muffins are gems and are as good at breakfast as they are after school with a cup of hot cocoa. If you can get your hands on some toasted pumpkin seed oil I highly recommend using it here, they give the muffins an undeniable soft crumb and sweet pumpkin flavor.

Have a good rest of your week. Stay warm, turn the oven on, it will help.

More excuses to bake:

• Grandma’s Pear and Canela Coffee Cake
• Lime Raspberry Poppy Seed Muffins
• Cookie Butter Muesli Cookies
• Almond Gingersnaps

Cinnamon Pumpkin Seed Muffins {Dairy Free}

These muffins are gems and are as good at breakfast as they are after school with a cup of hot cocoa. If you can get your hands on some toasted pumpkin seed oil I highly recommend using it here, they give the muffins an undeniable soft crumb and sweet pumpkin flavor.

• Author: Kate Ramos

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup pumpkin seeds, divided
• 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
• 3/4 cup unsweetened soy milk (or other milk)
• 1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seed oil (or vegetable oil)
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup coarse sugar or granulated sugar

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 375°F and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners or spray with baking spray.
2. Pulse 1/2 cup of the pumpkin seeds in a food processor until finely ground, but not a paste. Coarsely chop remaining 1/4 cup of the pumpkin seeds and set aside. Combine ground pumpkin seeds with flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, salt, and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in a medium bowl and whisk to break up any big lumps.
3. Combine soy milk and cider vinegar in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add eggs, oil, honey, and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Add dry ingredients and gently fold in until just moistened, don’t over mix.
4. Divide batter evenly between the muffin cups. In a small bowl combine the chopped pumpkin seeds, remaining teaspoon of cinnamon, and the coarse sugar. Sprinkle this mixture over the top of each muffin.
5. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool at least 15 minutes then serve warm or cool completely, cover, and keep at room temperature for up to 2 days.