Lunch Box Memories: Jam Muffins

I used to get a muffin in my lunch box as a kid. It was part savoury recess treat and part dessert. To be honest, I think I was more interested in the cool lunch boxes than the food back then. I remember my mom and I would head out minutes prior to Labour Day to pick up school supplies and grab a fancy lunch box and backpack. The boxes back then came with lithographed images and had all your favourite comic book heroes on them. They also should have come with a warning that the image on your box may get your ass beaten at school.

I used to love getting to school and at the first lull in the day reaching for my lunch box and rummaging through it. Peanut butter and jam. Check. Juice box. Check. And a cupcake. Sweet. Oh wait, it was a muffin. I never knew the difference. I did know that if it was a muffin stuffed with jam or chocolate or other sweet goodies, I could break it in half and use one half as a midday snack and the other half for dessert in the cafeteria. Seriously, how cool is that? A cupcake is what you think it is. Nothing more. A one-trick pony.
Continue Reading...

Pumpkin Spice Muffiins

It's mid-October and my mind starts to wander and dream about Halloween, candies and pumpkins. In a couple of short weeks my front porch will be adorned with a giant orange pumpkin where two towering flower pots once stood. I'm starting to think about the pumpkin carving and the new ways I'll tackle the seeds for a different take on snack food. I'm also thinking about using pumpkin as the main ingredient.

I've professed my love of scones on at least one occasion and nothing tastes better with a piping hot cup of tea than a scone fresh out of the oven.  The same love applies to a pumpkin muffin and the way it kind of settles in on you with a fresh-pressed cup of coffee. It's the spiciness in the aroma and the earthiness of the crumbs that run off your fingers when you first pick it up.

I'm taking pumpkin to a different place this year with my Pumpkin Spice Muffin recipe. A pinch of ground clove and a dash of ground cardamom add a depth of spice. Nothing matches up better with pumpkin than fresh cinnamon, ground ginger and vanilla extract, which gives a base to the flavour and allows the spice to take on a whole new direction and profile. The pumpkin seeds sit atop the muffin and add some crunchiness and an infusion of last-bite pumpkin flavour. Then end result is a muffin both  fluffy in texture and moist throughout. It's also guaranteed to be satisfying to the last bite.

The only difference I'd make next time is creating a vanilla cream cheese frosting to slather on top. The creaminess and richness would be the perfect date for these Autumn treats. That being said, if you want a seasonal snack or breakfast goody to have with your morning paper and cup of coffee, try this one on for size. Throw it together or pick one up at your nearest bakery. Either way, it should quench all those fall-time cravings.

My pumpkin spice muffin.