Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- pinch of ground allspice
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temp.
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
- about 1/3 cup sunflower seeds, for topping.
Directions
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Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter or spray 12 cupcake molds in a regular-size pan or fit with paper cups. Place the pan on a baking sheet.
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Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Set aside.
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Working with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter at medium speed until soft. Add both the sugars and continue to beat until light and smooth.
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One by one, add the eggs, beating for a minute after they are incorporated, then beat in the vanilla.
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Lower the mixer speed and mix in the pumpkin and buttermilk. Add the dry ingredients in a steady stream, mixing only until they disappear. To avoid overmixing, you can stop the machine early and stir in any remaining dry ingredients into the batter using a rubber spatula.
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Stir in the raisins and nuts. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups and sprinkle a few sunflower seeds over the top of each muffin.
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Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Kelly’s note: A lot of the TWD folks found that 25 minutes was too long, taking theirs out around 17 minutes.
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Transfer the pan to a rack and cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the pan, then carefully remove each one from its mold to finish cooling on the rack.