Cooksister | Food, Travel, Photography

Food, photos & faraway places

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • About me
    • Contact me
    • Work with me
    • Legal
      • Copyright notice & Disclaimer
      • Disclosure
      • Cookies and Privacy Policy
    • Press and media
    • Cooksister FAQs
  • RECIPES
    • Recipe Index – by course
    • Baking (savoury)
    • Braai/Barbecue
    • Breakfast & brunch
    • Christmas
    • Dessert
    • Drinks
    • Eggs
    • Fish
    • Gluten-free
    • Leftovers
    • Pasta & rice
    • Poultry
    • Pulses
    • Salads
    • Soup
    • South African
    • Starters & light meals
    • Vegan
    • Vegetables
    • Vegetarian
  • RESTAURANTS
    • British Isles restaurants
    • Dubai restaurants
    • France restaurants
    • London restaurants
    • Montenegro restaurants
    • New York restaurants
    • Pop-ups and supperclubs
    • Serbia restaurants
    • Singapore restaurants
    • South Africa restaurants
    • Sweden restaurants
    • Switzerland restaurants
    • USA restaurants
  • TRAVEL
    • All my travel posts
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Canada
      • Dubai
      • Cruise ships
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Grenada
      • Hong Kong
      • Hotel reviews
      • Italy
      • Israel
      • Jersey
      • Mexico
      • Netherlands
      • Norway
      • Portugal
      • Singapore
      • Ski & snow
      • South Africa
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • UK
      • USA
      • Wales
  • PORTFOLIO
    • Freelance writing portfolio
    • Speaking and teaching
    • Photography portfolio
    • Buy my photos
You are here: Home / Recipes / Baking (sweet) / Waiter, there’s something in my… spiced pumpkin muffins

Waiter, there’s something in my… spiced pumpkin muffins

by Jeanne Horak on October 31, 2008 18 Comments in Baking (sweet), Leftovers, Waiter, there's something in my...

Spiced-pumpkin-muffins

 

I have a confession to make.

Most days of the year, I am a diligent blogger who tries to buy ethically-produced products.  I try to patronise independent retailers where I can, rather than the huge chains that have assumed far too much power over what we put on our plates.  I gravitate towards excellent, natural ingredients and shun E-numbers.

But for a couple of days a year, specifically the couple of days that I have been lucky enough to spend in the USA in 2005, 2006 and 2008, I seem to have a momentary lapse of reason.  It started as a casual experiment in 2005 – one of those “oh, I’ve never seen that back home, let’s try it” moments that you have while traveling.  And now I realise that it has become my dirty little secret when I come to the USA.

I really, really, really like Starbucks pumpkin spice lattes.

Oh, I KNOW Starbucks is a symbol par excellence of the bland international corporate behemoths that have robbed us of independent outlets. And I know that the mug is probably full of not-at-all natural ingredients to give it that addictive flavour.  And yes, I do feel a little guilty as I furtively sidle up to the barista to place my order (“whipped cream with that?  From a can?  YOU BET!”).

But everyone’s gotta have a dirty little secret, and this is mine.

The one good thing that has come of my clandestine addiction is that it introduced me to the concept of pumpkin pie spices. I didn’t really grow up with pumpkin pie and used to imagine it as a savoury pie, so you can imagine how my culinary eyes were opened when I discovered that it is sweet!  Pumpkin pie spice traditionally consists of a blend of all or some of the following ground spices:  cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice and mace.  These are wonderfully warming spices and ideal for this time of year – and it is these spices that give the muffins their gently spiced flavour.  Apart from being delicious, these are also a great way to use up leftover cooked pumpkin or butternut squash.  The texture is fluffy and moist, and they are best straight out of the oven.

Just be careful – they may become YOUR secret addiction!

PumpkinMuffinsIIWeb

PumpkinMuffinsIIIWeb 

SPICED PUMPKIN MUFFINS (makes 12 regular or 6 large)
(Recipe from the November 2008 Gourmet Magazine)

Ingredients:

1/3 cup of golden raisins or sultanas
2 cups plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
113g butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar (I used dark brown sugar)
3/4 cup pure pumpkin puree (I used butternut squash puree)
1/4 cup buttermilk, shaken
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla etract
3 tbsp hulled green pumpkin seeds (pepitas) (I used more)

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 200C and butter muffin tin if necessary.  Soak the raisins in hot water for 5 mins, then drain and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt in a large bowl.

In another bowl, whisk together the butter, brwn sugar, pumpkin puree, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla.  Add the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.  Then stir in the raisins and 2 Tbsp of the pumpkin seeds.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups and sprinkle with the remaining seeds (I added some extra as I love pumpkin seeds!).  Bake in the middle of the oven until a toothpick inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to cool on a rack until muffins come out of their cups easily.

This post is my entry into this motn’s edition of Waiter, There’s Something in My… which I am hosting.  The theme is gourds and I’ve extended the deadline to Sunday 2 November to give you the weekend to get your entries in!

PumpkinMuffinsIVWeb

More deliciousness for you!

  • Plum and peach flapjack crumble [GF]Plum and peach flapjack crumble [GF]
  • Gingerbread spice persimmon cakeGingerbread spice persimmon cake
  • A spiced strawberry & rhubarb upside-down cake to celebrate 9 years of bloggingA spiced strawberry & rhubarb upside-down cake to celebrate 9 years of blogging
  • Gingerbread cookies for EasterGingerbread cookies for Easter

Never miss a Cooksister post

If you enjoyed this post, enter your e-mail address here to receive a FREE e-mail update when a new post appears on Cooksister

I love comments almost as much as I love cheese - so if you can't leave me any cheese, please leave me a comment instead!

« Roasted corn with lime & chilli butter
Saturday Snapshots #10 »

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Manggy says

    October 31, 2008 at 3:00 pm

    Oh, I’ve never had pumpkin pie before either– now you’ve made me afraid that if I try it, I might never want to stop! 🙂 Thank goodness I don’t drink coffee, though! But I will eat those muffins any time!

    Reply
  2. Kit says

    October 31, 2008 at 3:18 pm

    I’ve never had pumpkin pie either but these look great – I love all those warming spices and pumpkin seeds too.
    I’m glad you’ve extended the deadline – I may even get my entry in now, if I hustle a little!

    Reply
  3. nina says

    October 31, 2008 at 4:09 pm

    My dirty little secret is Kellog’s Corn Flakes with cold milk and lots of sugar…..add a sliced banana and I am in heaven….pls don’t tell anyone.
    The pictures are gorgeous and those muffins…mmmm, I’d love to try them!

    Reply
  4. Claudia says

    October 31, 2008 at 4:36 pm

    So you know it, but can’t resist the appeals of the brand’s spice?
    Sure spices are seductive enough but who the small organic producers of spices and pumpkin’s of the world will count on when you notice that you just can’t live without starbucks? Starbucks makes bad trade!!!!
    The power of the corporations is a real nightmare!
    Since you have confessed…

    Reply
  5. Sophie says

    October 31, 2008 at 5:34 pm

    These look glorious Jeanne! Perfect for a bonfire night party.
    I’m secretly relieved that Starbuck’s don’t do those pumpkin lattes over here. I’ve heard about them before and I’m sure I would be completely hooked
    p.s please don’t tell me if they are available here 🙂

    Reply
  6. courtney says

    October 31, 2008 at 6:15 pm

    You know how Billy Bob Thiorton is with orange foods? That used to be me. Its only till recenlty I have appreciated pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and squash. And yes that Starbucks drink is great. They have new Salted Caramel Chocolate I love too! These muffins look great. Have you tried the canned pumpkin from Libby? You should have brought some back just for kicks to compare. I prefer hte fresh puree.TRhanks for pushing me to work with the gourds!

    Reply
  7. Antonia says

    October 31, 2008 at 10:18 pm

    These muffins look fairly irresistible. I’ve never tried pumpkin pie either but it has always intrigued me. Love the sound of that combination of spices too.

    Reply
  8. Caroline says

    November 1, 2008 at 11:30 am

    That looks mouthwatering delicious! Definitely will give that a try.

    Reply
  9. Johanna says

    November 2, 2008 at 1:20 am

    It took me a long time to understand what was meant by pumpkin pie spices – pumpkin pie was not part of my childhood but mixed spices were (which I think is fairly similar to pumpkin pie spices).
    And I wouldn’t set foot in a starbucks in Melbourne but quite enjoyed the novelty of them on a visit to new york about a decade ago – but interestingly they have closed a lot of stores in Melbourne recently which just shows they are sometimes better in situ than in colonising the world!

    Reply
  10. grace says

    November 2, 2008 at 12:41 pm

    these are awesome, jeanne! they look perfectly crusty and dense and pumpkin-y, and i’m sure the spices made your house smell heavenly. 🙂

    Reply
  11. Amanda says

    November 3, 2008 at 4:47 pm

    Gorgeous photos, Jeanne, as always.
    You know, there are recipe all over the blogosphere for a copycat S*bucks Pumpkin Latte. I’m actually thinking of making it myself–seems like something my friends would enjoy.
    We don’t have a starbucks anywhere within an hour’s drive of here, so we’re safe. For now.

    Reply
  12. Amanda says

    November 3, 2008 at 4:48 pm

    PS, try sweet potato pie. It’s made exactly the same way as pumpkin pie. Delish.

    Reply
  13. Tongue-Tickle says

    November 4, 2008 at 10:04 am

    i love the photography! well done! 🙂 … i hope you received my entry for wtsim …

    Reply
  14. Kevin says

    November 5, 2008 at 1:01 am

    Pumpkin and pumpkin pie spices are good and they make some really nice muffins and quick breads. Your muffins look great! Nice photos!

    Reply
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Never miss a Cooksister post!

Get my latest recipes delivered by e-mail!

Search over 500 recipes

Recently on Cooksister

  • Masalchi by Atul Kochhar – Indian street food in Wembley
  • Barbecued salmon with blood oranges and capers
  • Roasted Brussels sprouts with feta, pomegranate and pine nuts [GF, V]
  • Love Yourself healthy meal delivery [Review]
  • Antillean
  • Festive roast lamb with pomegranate glaze
  • Rustic blood orange and pistachio galettes
  • Cauliflower steak Welsh rarebit

Archives by month

Archives by category

Popular posts

Peppermint Crisp fridge tart - a South African treat
Nigella's Bakewell slices & the Big Bakewell Taste-off
Oxtail and red wine potjie
Roosterkoek - a South African braai essential
My big, fat South African potato bake
Gem squash 101: how to find them, how to grow them, how to eat them!

Featured on

Also available on

🌷🌷🌷 It’s tulip season in London! Every 🌷🌷🌷 It’s tulip season in London!

Everywhere you look, these long-legged floral supermodels are adding a splash of colour to parks and gardens and I just can’t get enough of them! It’s easy to see how they inspired a collective buying frenzy in 17th Century Holland, called “tulip fever”, but today there are less dramatic ways to enjoy them. Here are a couple of suggestions of where to see them at their best:

🌷 The ultimate tulipalooza is the annual opening of Keukenhof gardens outside Amsterdam where 7 million (!) bulbs burst into life each Spring. This year the gardens are open 24 March-15 May (click on the link in my bio for FAQs and my top tips for visitors)

🌷In London, Kew Gardens always has spectacular displays of tulips; but you can also see excellent and free tulips in most of the Royal Parks such as Regents Park. 

🌷The Hampton Court Palace tulip festival is on until 2 May and the Hever  Castle’s Tulip Celebrations until 24 April - both within easy reach of London.

🌷The Morges Fete de la Tulipe in Switzerland takes place every year against the spectacular backdrop of Lake Geneva - it is on until 8 May this year.

I spotted these spectacular red frilly parrot tulips beside St Paul’s Cathedral yesterday 🌹 Where is the best display of tulips that you have ever seen?
MASALCHI BY ATUL KOCHHAR - pan-Indian street food MASALCHI BY ATUL KOCHHAR - pan-Indian street food restaurant in Wembley

Remember to save this post so you can find it later! 🔖

[Invited] If you thought Brick Lane and chicken tikka masala or madras were all there is to know about the food of the Indian subcontinent, think again! In the shadow of the Wembley arch,  @chefatulkochhar has opened his first casual dining restaurant,  showcasing the rustic, spicy, diverse street foods of India. 

Highlights when I visited included:
1. Carrot halwa
2. Papdi chaat
3. Chicken 65
4. Tandoori broccoli
5. Smoky aubergine chokha
6. A snap of all our mains - you can read all about these and more in the full review on my blog - click the link in my bio or go to:
 https://www.cooksister.com/2022/04/masalchi-atul-kochhar-indian-wembley.html

What is your favourite dish from the Indian subcontinent? Let me know in the comments 🌶🌶🌶
🍒🌸 It’s cherry blossom season! 🍒🌸 T 🍒🌸 It’s cherry blossom season! 🍒🌸

There is no season in London that I love more than cherry blossom season! From March through to April, trees in various parks and gardens in London put on an amazing display of delicate pink and white blossoms - and everything in the city seems a little more magical. This particular tree near St Pauls must be among London’s most photographed, and it’s not hard to see why 💕

Did you know that...

🌸cherry blossoms are Japan’s national flower and are known as Sakura 

🌸In 1910, Japan sent the USA some cherry trees as a goodwill gesture… and the Dept of Agriculture inspectors nearly caused an international incident by burning them as they were carrying insects and diseases! But in 1915 Japan sent more cherry trees that survived the inspectors, and these marked the start of cherry trees in the USA.

🌸 Peak blossom season is usually only two to three weeks in March/April but is hard to predict as the weather and the subspecies of tree influence the timing.

🌸The cherry blossom capital of the  world is Macon, Georgia with 300,000 - 350,000 Yoshino cherry blossom trees.

🌸 There are over 200 different varieties of cherry blossom and some are purely ornamental (meaning they produce no cherries)

Where is your favourite place to see cherry blossoms in London or around the world? Let me know in the comments and happy blossom hunting! 🌸🍒🌸

#pinkpinkpink
Dyed Gwyl Dewi Hapus - that's Happy St David's Day Dyed Gwyl Dewi Hapus - that's Happy St David's Day to those of you who don't speak Welsh! 

1 March is the Welsh national day  and what better way to celebrate than surrounded by daffodils -  the Welsh national flower!

Did you know that:
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 The English name "Wales" comes from the Anglo-Saxon word meaning "foreigner" - but the country's Welsh name "Cymru" means "friends" in Welsh.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 The  Welsh language Cymraeg is the oldest language in Britain, at about 4,000 years old!

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 There are more castles per square mile in Wales than any other European country.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Mount Everest is named after George Everest, the Welsh surveyor who first mapped the peak on western maps.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 The beautiful Menai bridge (spanning the Menai Strait between the Isle of Anglesey and mainland Wales) was the first suspension bridge in the world.

Have you ever visited Wales? What did you like most about it?
*NEW RECIPE* Barbecued salmon with blood oranges, *NEW RECIPE* Barbecued salmon with blood oranges, capers and dill. Pretty in pink 💕

[AD] Blood oranges are a small obsession of mine - from blood orange posset to blood orange and halloumi salad to blood orange & Cointreau upside down cake, I am always looking for new ways to make the most of their short season. Barbecuing them with salmon, capers and dill is a perfect match in terms of flavour as well as colour (or you can oven bake the salmon if it's not barbecue weather where you are!)

When @grahambeckuk asked me to suggest some recipes to match their wonderful Graham Beck Brut Rosé NV sparkling wine from South Africa, this was a pairing made in heaven, and wonderfully colour co-ordinated with their silver-pink bubbly. Get the full recipe and find out more about Graham Beck's sparkling wines, made using the same methods as Champagne, on my blog - link in my bio above. 

What do you like to do with blood oranges? I'd love to hear in the comments!
💘"Love yourself first and everything falls into 💘"Love yourself first and everything falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world." - Lucille Ball

Whether you are celebrating with a partner, with friends, or by yourself today, I hope most of all that you love yourself, love your body, love your strengths, love your weaknesses, and love who you are (or are becoming). Because... you're worth it!

Are you doing anything celebratory today? Let me know in the comments 💘💘💘

(The beautiful street art is London Hearts by @akajimmyc)
📸: @girl_travelsworld
Would you believe me if I told you this is NOT a p Would you believe me if I told you this is NOT a picture of a Moorish palace, a castle or a cathedral? And that you can get to it from central London in under an hour?

This is Crossness Pumping Station @crossnesset , a Grade I listed heritage site and one of London's last remaining magnificent Victorian sewage (!) pumping stations in Abbey Wood near Rainham. 

Did you know that...

💩 You can visit the building on monthly open days - the next one is Sun 20 Feb. Book at www.crossness.org.uk

💩  It was only in 1856, after 3 major cholera outbreaks in 30 years and the Big Stink when the stench of London's sewage finally reached Parliament, that construction of an intercepting sewer system for the city was approved.  The system (parts of which are still in use today) was designed by Sir Joseph Bazalgette, Chief Engineer of London's Board of Metropolitan Works at the time.

💩  At Crossness, all London's sewage from south of the river was was raised by 9-12 metres to large reservoirs so that gravity would cause it to flow further east and into the Thames estuary. (Yes, until the 1880s, raw sewage was simply pumped into the Thames!)

💩 The incoming liquid was raised by the four enormous steam driven pumps, built to Joseph Bazalgette's design. The pumps were named Victoria, Prince Consort, Albert Edward, and Alexandra. They are thought to be the largest remaining rotative beam engines in the world, with 52-ton flywheels and 47-ton beams. 

💩 The pumping station was decommissioned and abandoned in the 1950s but declared a listed building in 1970.  Although all 4 beam engines remain in place, they were so damaged that today (thanks to the efforts of the Crossness Engines Trust) only Prince Consort has been restored to working condition and can be seen in action on open days.

💩 The exuberant and colourful wrought ironwork inside is the amazing work of architect Charles Henry Driver. My favourite detail is the fact that the pillars in the central atrium are topped with stylised figs and senna pods... two of nature's greatest natural laxatives 🤣
*NEW RECIPE* Roasted Brussels sprouts with feta ch *NEW RECIPE* Roasted Brussels sprouts with feta cheese, pomegranate and pine nuts

Ever noticed how you are affected by colours? 🌈

Maybe some colours make you agitated and some make you relaxed. Or maybe you find yourself inexplicably attracted to a particular colour (oh, hi teal and aqua!💙). On the basis that all colours have a wavelength, and that those outside the visible spectrum can affect us, it makes sense that the colours we see can affect our mood or even our physiology. Did you know for instance that exposure to red light can increase your blood pressure and heart rate? Are there any colours that you find yourself particularly attracted to or affected by?

The pretty colours of these roasted Brussels sprouts with feta cheese, pomegranate and pine nuts will be the first things that attract you to this dish - but it is the delicious combination of flavours and textures that will keep you coming back for more!

The recipe (and more about how colour affects us mentally and physically) is now live on my blog - click the live link in my profile and remember to like and bookmark this post to see more Cooksister in your Instagram feed ❤️
Perspective: a particular attitude towards or way Perspective: a particular attitude towards or way of regarding something.

Perspective is the one thing that the Covid-19 pandemic has given us plenty of. It has certainly made us re-evaluate what is truly important, and also what we did and didn't enjoy about our lives  before the pandemic and its associated lockdowns. It made me appreciate how much happiness my house, my job, my friends, my own company and my running bring to my life (and how fortunate I am to have all these things). But it also brought home how much I enjoy and miss travel, the theatre, and the luxury of reataurant visits at the drop of a hat. I don't think words can describe my joy at sipping the first coffee purchased from a coffee shop in summer 2020 as lockdown eased. It's the little things...

One of the things I have enjoyed and will not miss as the world creeps back to normality is the absence of crowds in what is usually a crowded city. On the occasions that I have been in central London since the start of the pandemic, streets have been blissfully empty and it has felt as if I were discovering my city anew. This glorious perspective (hah!) of St Paul's Cathedral normally requires a long wait while a queue of tourists and "influencers" ahead of you pose for photos - but on this glorious day last Spring it was almost deserted. I will miss that...

Is there anything you will miss as Covid-19 restrictions start to be lifted?
Load More... Follow me on Instagram

Follow Jeanne Horak-Druiff's board Recipes by Cooksister on Pinterest.

Cooksister

The South African Food and Wine Blog Directory

The South African Food and Wine Blog Directory

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

Latest Recipes

Salmon with blood oranges dill and capers
Brussels sprouts with feta and pomegranate
Roast lamb with pomegranate glaze
Blood orange & pistachio galettes
Cauliflower topped steak with melted cheese
Plate of potted smoked salmon with slaw and a glass of champagne
bowls of pistachio pomegranate bircher muesli
Brussels sprouts with chorizo & hazelnuts

SITEMAP

Home

Contact

About me

Recipe Index

Restaurant Index

Copyright & Disclaimer

Cookies & privacy policy




blog counter

© 2004 - 2022 · Jeanne Horak unless otherwise stated - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. You may not reproduce any text, excerpts or images without my prior permission. Site by RTW Labs

Copyright © 2022 · Cooksister on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Cooksister cookie consent
We use cookies to ensure you receive the best experience on our site. If you continue to use this site, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions. Accept
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT