Diary of a Semi-Health Nut

ramblings + recipes of a semi-healthy nut

Pumpkin Spice Orange-Soaked Muffins

by

 

 

Happy Sunday Friends!

I was looking through some recipes and ideas for holiday goodies and came across the post I did for Lee at Fit Foodie Finds awhile back.  I had this extra copy of the post and I thought I’d re-share it because I am super proud of the recipe.  It is definitely a semi-healthy recipe.

This is exactly what I sent to Lee to post to her readers and it shows a little of where I was at in my blog a couple of months ago.  Enjoy!

{{Hello everyone!  My name is Amanda and I am the author of the healthy living blog called Diary of a Semi-Health Nut.  I blog about balance in my daily life which involves healthy recipes, running, and of course, baking delicious treats.

I started blogging about a year ago…like once a month.  In January 2011 I was training for a half-marathon so I started blogging more frequently and then a crazy thing happened…I started looking at *gasp* other blogs!

I had no idea there were so many talented people out there blogging!  One of the first blogs I found that interested me was Fit Foodie Finds.  Such fun writing!  The most beautiful photography!  So so healthy!  I was in love and so began an obsession of following some amazing foodies.

I also got on Twitter a couple of months ago (how many years after everyone else got on??) and found even more people who shared my passion!  Lee is, of course, one of the peeps I follow (let’s face it, I want to make sure I know when she posts another amazing recipe or fun workout) and she sent a message out along the lines of “who wants to do a guest post for me?”

Didn’t have to ask me twice!  I’d love to give this gal a break from posting for one day and I will even share a new recipe with her because I appreciate all of the hard work she puts into her blog!

So I present to you, followers of Fit Foodie Finds, a sweet fall recipe:
Pumpkin Spice Orange-Soaked Muffins

One of the best desserts I have made yet.  I could barely stop myself from licking the batter bowl and the glaze bowl…oh how I love you pumpkin muffins!

I brought these to the BF’s farm this weekend and he caught me mowin down on 2 of em!

Ingredients (for muffins):

  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup cream (I used cinnamon vanilla creamer..yum) {healthier: skim milk or water}
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar {healthier: can be omitted}
  • 1 can of Pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup oats {healthier: can add 1/4 to 1/2 cup more but will be very dense!}
  • 2 cups flour {healthier: sub 1 cup whole wheat flour}
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp cloves
  • 1 tsp pumpkin spice
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • (see below for *orange soaked* part)

(Note: I know spices can be expensive…so if you don’t have them and don’t want to buy them now…this recipe can be made with spice cake from a box + vegetable oil+eggs+cream..although it won’t be quite the same!)

How To (for muffins): 

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Combine moist ingredients (eggs, creme, vegetable oil) and add sugar.
  3. Add pumpkin and stir.
  4. Add oats to moist ingredients and combine.
  5. In a separate bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients and then slowly add and combine to moist ingredients.
  6. Pour into baking pans and bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out dry.
  7. Prepare *orange-soaked* part (below).

 

This is my recipe in progress…a lot of erasing, re-writing and when I sniffed the allspice, decided to cross it out altogether.

 

 

 

The batter is pretty goopy so I had to spoon it into the cupcake holders.
 

*Orange-soaked*-ness:{healthier: use 1TBS butter, 1TBS sugar plus 1/4 cup orange juice and gratings}

  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 TBS water
  • 2 TBS orange juice
  • 2 TBS grated orange peel (or as much as you can get from one orange)
  • sunflower nuts for topping (or almonds, walnuts, pecans, etc)

How To:

  1. Melt butter on stovetop on medium-low heat (or nuke it for 30 sec at a time)
  2. Add sugar, zests and water and heat until it dissolves.
  3. Remove from heat and stir in orange juice.
  4. Poke holes in cooled muffins with a toothpick and drizzle over muffins.
  5. Add your choice of topping, let cool and ENJOY!

 

Poking holes with a toothpick

 

 

Didn’t melt the butter enough…but it was still scrumptious!

 

 

 
 

Great for breakfast, snack, dessert…lunch, dinner, study treat…SO. GOOD.

What’s your favorite fall ingredient?}}

What do you think?  Pretty good guest-post eh? 😉

Guess what??!  I am doing a holiday foodie/decorating/craft link-up very soon!  Possibly tomorrow?? {Here’s the link! –> http://semihealthyblog.com/2011/12/sweet-cinnamon-biscuits-recipe-round-up/)

I am excited as it is my first link-up ever and I know there are a lot of talented cooks/bakers/crafty people out there that I can get ideas from.


Stay tuned for the link-up friends and have an amazing week!

*~Amanda aka Semi-Health Nut~*



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