Looking for a healthy pumpkin dessert recipe? You found it!
Delicious pumpkin muffins with a hint of cinnamon!
They say you only truly appreciate something when it’s gone — and that feels painfully true right now. Italy has been battered by heavy rain, with Venice flooded and many areas devastated. Power outages left people without electricity or public transport. It’s a stark reminder to be grateful for simple things like light and energy.
In my town it rained nonstop from Saturday to Monday and only yesterday did a timid sun peek through. During that spell we had several blackouts — including while I was baking these pumpkin muffins (which explains why they took about 40 minutes in the oven).
These pumpkin muffins are healthy and tasty!
Pumpkin muffins — a fail-safe choice
To be honest, these pumpkin muffins were an impulse recipe. Last week, while I was roasting Brussels sprouts, I realized I hadn’t prepared anything for Halloween. Impossible — I never miss an occasion to bake for friends and family. With my English-speaking audience growing, I knew many people would be searching for last-minute recipes.
Pumpkin muffins finished with a swirl of cream cheese and a dusting of powdered sugar!
I opened the fridge: pumpkin purée and good cream cheese — ding ding, idea! Why not bake pumpkin muffins and top them with cream cheese? I brought the eggs to room temperature and got to work.
The result: super soft, moist muffins with just the right sweetness and perfect texture. If you prefer sweeter treats, dust them with powdered sugar before serving.
The perfect soft, tender crumb of these pumpkin muffins. Delicious!
About the pumpkin: it’s the star ingredient, so choose it well if you want perfect results. If you’re unsure, ask your greengrocer for advice. The cream cheese adds a pleasant tang that balances the sweetness — it’s the cherry on top.
How to make homemade pumpkin purée
Unlike some foreign blogs that often use canned pumpkin, canned purée isn’t common here. Making fresh purée is simple: cut the pumpkin in half or into quarters, place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and roast at 160–170°C until tender (a fork should go through easily). Remove the seeds, scoop out the flesh, and pass it through a sieve, mash it with a potato ricer, or blend until smooth. That’s it.
Soft and perfectly moist pumpkin muffins.
Go grab a pumpkin — mine was Kabocha with green skin — and bake these muffins for yourself or your kids. If you try them, tag me on Instagram!
MUFFINS ALLA ZUCCA
Ingredienti
- 50 gr Oil (I used extra virgin olive oil)
- 50 gr Whole cane sugar
- a few drops Vanilla extract
- 2 Eggs – room temperature
- 300 gr Pumpkin purée
- 120 gr Type 00 organic flour
- 1 tsp or more Ground cinnamon
- a pinch Salt
- 1 tsp Baking powder (for cakes)
- 1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
- 1/2 tsp Organic apple cider vinegar
- 90 gr Cream cheese – (I used a low-fat cream cheese; Greek yogurt is a good substitute)
- Powdered sugar – optional
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 170°C.
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In a bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the oil, vanilla and whole cane sugar until combined into a creamy mixture. It won’t become fluffy like butter and sugar — it will remain more liquid.
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Add the eggs and beat again, then fold in the pumpkin purée.
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Sift the flour together with salt and cinnamon, add it gradually to the wet ingredients and fold in with a spatula, taking care to avoid lumps.
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Finally add the baking powder, bicarbonate and vinegar (pour the vinegar over the bicarbonate to create bubbles). Stir to combine.
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Fill muffin cups or liners about 3/4 full.
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Mix cream cheese with a little powdered sugar (optional). Place a teaspoon of this mixture on each muffin and use a toothpick to swirl it into the batter for a marbled effect.
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Bake for about 40–45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
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Store them in the fridge.