Pumpkin Spice Muffins

I’ve been baking with vegetables again.  This Pumpkin and Spice and Everything Nice muffin recipe is from “The Looneyspoons Collection” cookbook my husband gave me for Christmas.  The authors, Janet & Greta Podleski, are Canadian sisters with a bunch of fun cookbooks, and it’s safe to say that most of the cooking I attempted in my early 20s came from the original “Looneyspoons” cookbook (the only cookbook I owned).  The book has improved from 15 years ago and I’m happy to report that my cooking has too.

These muffins turned out beautifully — filled with pumpkin, carrot, chocolate chips, and LOTS of pumpkin pie spice.  The house smells fantastic.  This recipe uses maple syrup instead of sugar for sweetness, which goes so well with the pumpkin.  I substituted 1/4 cup of wheat germ for 1/4 cup of the flour to bump up the health factor even more.  I also put walnuts on top of half the muffins instead of mixing them in, to ensure harmony in the household come breakfast-time.