Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Poppers

Whoa baby, she popped! This lovely little camera has been busy capturing moments that don't involve eggs or baking (err, well... sort of). A family friend of ours has given birth to a beautiful and healthy baby boy! So in honor of his arrival it only seemed appropriate to bake up some delicious, seasonal pumpkin poppers.

This was also the perfect excuse to use up the rest of that pumpkin puree that had been hanging out in the fridge. After this, no more pumpkin. I promise. At least not until next month.

This recipe was adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction. I was intrigued by the use of white whole wheat flour. I had recently discovered this product at the store and wanted to see what it was all about.   

What resulted from this new flour was a dense, moist muffin like treat. The main benefit of using white whole wheat flour compared to regular whole wheat flour is that it lends a milder flavor to your end product. I found the texture to still be like that of your regular whole wheat flour, but the flavors of the pumpkin and spices were allowed to shine through a little brighter. Another benefit would be the lighter appearance in color. Although not important for this recipe, I can see where it might play a larger role in other recipes like cookies or breads.    

I did enjoy the denseness of these treats but would be curious to see how they would turn out by substituting a portion of the white whole wheat flour with regular all-purpose flour. My thoughts are that the muffins would still hold their moisture, but become a little lighter and airier. These treats are not too sweet so that extra coating of sugar really gives them that wow factor for flavor and appearance.  

Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Poppers

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Makes about 2 ½ dozen mini poppers

Ingredients

For the muffins:

1 and 3/4 cups (219 grams) white whole wheat flour

1 and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 cup (1/2 stick, XX grams) unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup (109 grams) light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3/4 cup (192 grams) pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

1/2 cup whole milk

For the cinnamon sugar coating:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

1/2 cup (99 grams) granulated sugar

2 tablespoons (12 grams) ground cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degree F. Spray your mini muffin tin/s with non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. Set aside. In a medium bowl, mix together butter and sugar. Add the egg and whisk for about a minute (this will create a nice homogeneous mixture). Add vanilla, pumpkin, and milk to the wet mixture. Mix until combine. Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients and slowly mix until just combine. DO NOT over mix.

Spoon the batter into the muffin tins, about 2/3 full. Bake 11-12 minutes or until the tops of the muffins spring back when touched (or a toothpick comes out clean). Let cool on racks completely.

While those little poppers are cooling, prepare the cinnamon coating by mixing together the cinnamon and sugar in a shallow bowl. Melt butter in microwave safe container and get ready to become a butter artist.

Once your muffins have cooled completely, brush melted butter over entire muffin and roll in cinnamon sugar combo. Place on rack to set. Eat. These are best popped on the same day they are baked.

*Note- Do not put these muffins in a sealed container while they have any residual warmth. This will create condensation that will dissolve the sugar and turn your poppers into a sticky mess. If this does happen simply remove from container and roll in more sugar. Eat immediately.