Pumpkin Patch Muffins & September's Give-Away Apron

The kitchen smelled wonderful this morning with the aroma of these muffins; bringing back memories of the last October that Kelly was with us.  She loved pumpkin and I baked these with her in mind.

I just returned this week from an event in Houston where I taught classes on my next line out in October.  One lovely woman in my workshop asked me, "how do you go on after losing a child?"  That's a question I've yet to answer, but I said, "she made me promise to continue sharing."  Kelly had a tremendous heart and always put others first, so how could I not honor her request. Understanding loss is not in the human nature, but it is part of life.


Pumpkin Patch Muffins
1 cup orange juice, heated slightly in the microwave (about 40 - 60 secs)
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries

3 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cardamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Lightly greased specialty muffin pan (or line a muffin pan with paper liners)

I used this mini swirl bundt pan because its shape reminded me of a pumpkin!

Allow the cranberries to plump in the warmed orange juice for 15 minutes before starting the batter.

In a large bowl, measure all the dry ingredients and whisk together.  Add the "wet" ingredients and use a rubber spatula to mix together until smooth.

 Use a 1/4-cup scoop to measure batter into the muffin wells.

Bake in the preheated oven, 20 to 25 minutes until the tops "spring back" when you touch them with finger tips.  Allow to cool about 7 minutes before transferring the muffins to a rack to cool completely.  The recipe makes 12 large muffins.

Next, before I get to far behind, the winner of September's Give-Away Apron is Stamping Sue.  I'll be sending this out to you shortly for you to enjoy.  I would like to try to promise to get October's Apron up, but with another trip on Monday, I'm not sure if I'll get it done before I leave.  However, I will get one up and some special gifts to honor Kelly.  Enjoy!