Harvest Pumpkin Nut Muffins

Today I went on a road trip for work.

I drove all the way to the farthest reaches of western Oklahoma…to Cheyenne. It’s in Roger Mills county, a place I know very well because of a game we used to play at work where we tried to name all of Oklahoma’s 77 counties as fast as possible. I own the record, by the way, at 1 minute and 31 seconds. Lame, I know.

Anyway, we were out there working on a story about Roger Mills county—population 3,000—having the highest suicide rate in the state of Oklahoma. It was so desolate, so lonely, and so…beyond the reach of civilization. I grew up in a small town, but this was different. The closest WALMART to Cheyenne is 45 minutes away. People have to drive at least two hours to get to normal services we take for granted all the time living in the big city.

It’s quite a depressing story, but hopefully it helps someone out. Anyone. Even just one person.

To sustain our own life forces on the long journey to Cheyenne, I brought a few muffins I had made the night before. They curbed my hangry-ness (we didn’t get to eat lunch until about 2pm) and they were easy to eat while driving.

The ingredients are a few seasons off—pumpkin in the Spring?!—but they sounded delicious and I had a spare can of pumpkin laying around.

Plus, I love a good ole fruity muffin.

Harvest Pumpkin Nut Muffin

• 1 2/3 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1 TBS. lemon juice
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup golden raisins

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
2. In medium bowl, whisk together eggs, pumpkin puree, melted butter and lemon juice. Stir in walnuts and raisins.
3. Pour pumpkin mixture into dry ingredients. Stir just until mixed.
4. Place muffin lining paper into a muffin pan. Spoon batter into muffin cups.
5. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 20-23 minutes, or until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.

This recipe made 15 muffins and I used a regular-sized muffin tray.

Skill Level: Easy. Muffins and bundt cakes are probably the easiest and most fool-proof things you could bake.

Flavor Profile: These were so good! Even Rob liked them, and he is a very picky eater. I think what really takes these muffins above and beyond is the raisins. They are like little sweet nuggets of gold buried inside of the muffin.

End Score: 100%!  I will most likely be making these again in the fall when pumpkin is back “in”.  And to find something that both Rob and I like is A-Okay in my book!