Sourdough Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins

Sourdough discard adds a little bit of tang to these pumpkin muffins studded with tart dried cranberries and crunchy walnuts.

It's fall and Virgil Flours is coming up on five months old.   I was never someone who thought they would have a sourdough starter but now that I have one I'm totally addicted!   I don't make bread all that often but every week I try to make something with my discard.

Since it's fall I've been on a huge pumpkin kick and I've been lucky enough to be able to find pumpkin whenever I've needed it.  So when I was looking for a sourdough pumpkin recipe I kept on finding pumpkin bread recipes which is great but I prefer muffins.

I took one of these pumpkin bread recipes and turned it into muffins.  Since I was using sourdough discard I didn't want to have to wait hours for it to become active so I did use baking powder along with it which just gives it a quicker rise.

For these muffins you will need:

• butter
• sugar
• molasses
• eggs
• pumpkin puree
• sourdough starter
• vanilla
• flour
• salt
• pumpkin pie spice
• baking powder
• baking soda
• dried cranberries
• chopped walnuts

I mixed together the batter and then added in the dried cranberries and chopped walnuts.   I think cranberries are the perfect compliment for the pumpkin and spices.  

I've never really made pumpkin recipes with molasses but let me tell you, I'll be using it in a lot more!   I generally think of gingerbread whenever I use molasses but in this case it really brings out the pumpkin and spices.   A little bit goes a long way but it really makes these muffins.

The first bite of these muffins was incredible.   I could taste the pumpkin, all of the spices, the tartness from the cranberries, the crunch from the walnuts, and the molasses just gave every flavor a little more depth.  I thought these were the perfect taste of fall.

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Sourdough Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins

Yield: 16 muffins

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Sourdough discard adds a little bit of tang to these pumpkin muffins studded with tart dried cranberries and crunchy walnuts.

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Ingredients

• 6 Tablespoons butter, melted
• ½ c. sugar
• ¼ c. molasses
• 2 eggs
• 1 c. pumpkin puree
• ¾ c. sourdough starter discard
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 c. flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ c. dried cranberries
• ½ c. walnuts, chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two muffin tins with cupcake liners or spray them well with baking spray. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl combine the butter, sugar, molasses, eggs, and pumpkin. Mix well until combined.
3. Add in the sourdough starter discard and vanilla and mix until combined.
4. In a medium bowl combine the flour, salt, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and baking soda.
5. Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and mix until evenly combined.
6. Fold in the cranberries and walnuts.
7. Fill each muffin cup ¾ of the way full.
8. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
9. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack.

Notes

Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 211Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 249mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 2gSugar: 15gProtein: 4g

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