These pumpkin muffins are moist and flavorful without being overly sweet (it’s a muffin, people, not a cupcake!). The toasted pumpkin seeds provide an added textural element. They’re perfect for breakfast or brunch right out of the oven, but will keep for a few days covered and refrigerated. There’s no better weekday breakfast (or midnight snack) than a muffin, split in half and toasted until golden brown, served with a knob of butter or cream cheese.

Here, I used canned pumpkin purée (the plain kind, not the pre-seasoned pumpkin pie filling) because that’s what I had on hand and, as usual, I’d left myself less than an hour to put together Sunday brunch. With a little foresight, fresh pumpkin purée could, of course, be used instead.

Pumpkin Muffins with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

makes 12 muffins

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1 1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbs baking powder

1 tsp nutmeg

1tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp all spice

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp cloves

1 1/3 cup pumpkin purée

2 eggs

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk

optional: 3 tablespoons cinnamon sugar for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Grease or line your muffin tin. In a nonstick skillet over medium heat, toast the pumpkin seeds until fragrant and slightly browned, then set aside.  In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together all of your dry ingredients. In another mixing bowl, whisk together all of your wet ingredients until well combined. It’s important to mix your wet and dry ingredients well while they are still separated because, once you combine them, you’ll want to keep mixing to a minimum in order to limit gluten development.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients bowl until just mixed. divide your muffin batter into 12 muffin cups, and, if you wish, sprinkle the tops with cinnamon sugar. Pop the muffin tin into the oven and bake at 400F for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.