Baking requires so much precision I’ve never trusted myself with an original recipe. But I felt like experimenting, and my grandma presented me with the perfect opportunity when she asked me to whip up something for her karaoke class (of mostly the elderly) with some pumpkin she had brought home (my grandma loves bringing home fresh produce and coming up with new ways to cook them). A core ingredient and a specific demographic group to feed was the ideal challenge so naturally I took it up.
…and came up with this!
Spiced Pumpkin Muffin Tops, with cranberries and chopped almonds!
I wanted something soft, easy and familiar for digestion but exciting on the palate (with more sophisticated spicing than decadent sweetness) in the form of finger food perfect for pre-karaoke snacking. And also health conscious because of their age.
Personally I was pretty satisfied with the taste and fragrance – a good blend of sugar and spice and fruity-nuttiness, but was more like a dense kueh bahlu than the chewy soft gooey desserts I like heh… BUT it was a hit with the old folks and everything was snapped up and da-bao-ed so YAY~
Recipe!
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, unsifted
- 3/4 c. brown + 1/4 c. granulated sugar
- 115g unsalted butter, softened
- 1 medium egg + 1 yolk
(Extra yolk if you prefer it dense > fluffy) - 1 c. pumpkin pureed in agar-agar amount of coconut milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp baking powder
(*IMPT*: do NOT sub with baking soda, because pumpkin and coconut milk are both basic, b.s. will make batter bitter w/o acids to balance it out) - Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
(Above three can be subbed by 1 tsp of All-Spice) - 1 c. mixed dried fruits and nuts of your choice!
1. Butter and egg to room temperature, butter softened almost melted.
2. Preheat oven to 190 c. (But adjust according to your oven’s temperament, did mine at 170 c. because it gets overheated a lot)
3. Measure flour spoon and leveled, sift, then mix in baking powder.
4. Steam, boil, or bake pumpkin until soft, and puree. Cool to room temp.
You can try steaming or boiling the pumpkin until almost cooked, then simmer in coconut milk. This enhances both flavors super well. (Don’t boil it at high with the milk because coconut milk curdles.)
5. Chop up whole almonds/whatever nut by putting it in a baggy and pounding with whatever! You should get some sizable, visible chunks, slightly smaller chunks, and grounded. Separate these.
6. Cream melted butter before whisking sugar in until lumpy bits are gone, add in eggs one at a time.
7. Add pumpkin puree and mix until all combined. Add in vanilla essence, salt, cinnamon and all the spices. (I think some people add it into the dry mix but I think the flavor is more even this way.)
Add in ground almond/nut!
8. Add in dry mix and combine well.
9. Fold in smaller almond chunks and dried fruits!
I chose cranberries and a leeedle bit of leftover prune slices. Pecans and walnuts will work really well too I think. Maybe dried apricots and raisins, etc. Leave some dried fruits along with the visible almond chunks!
10. Drop 1 tablespoon each onto parchment paper, as you would with wet cookie dough! It should be a fairly peaked lump, not spread.
Decorate top of batter with the leftover dried fruits and larger almond chunks!
11. Bake in upper or middle rack for 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown.
But again I’m super agar agar when it comes to this lol so I rly don’t know the perfect timing. Just poke around and try la.
12. Leave in for 10 minutes after cause it will continue baking, then cool on wire rack.
Makes about 30 smaller sized, or 18 normal sized Muffin Tops!
I love what the spices and coconut do to the pumpkin flavor! It’s balanced out with the sweet dried fruits too, and almond adds nutty fragrance and texture.
Fun part was definitely choosing from various fruits and nuts, if y’all have any suggestions on nice new combinations lemme know! WHOO DOMESTICGURL93 pride of my Grandma~
Q 