Recipes - Thanksgiving Mini-Muffins

I plan to bring two kinds of mini-muffins for Thanksgiving this year - Pumpkin Poppers and Pecan Pie Muffins!

I saw the recipe for Pumpkin Poppers on the website The Domestication Project. They are described as tasting like pumpkin doughnut holes! The original recipe instructs you to roll each one in butter and cinnamon-sugar after they are cooked, but I think I will go with the easier method of using that mixture for a topping instead of a coating.  
(nerd note: it is really interesting to see the little differences in each incarnation of the recipe if you go to this recipe's source link, and then that recipe's source link, and so on back to the first person who combined two recipes to make this one - for example, first using Crisco and buttermilk, then vegetable oil and low-fat milk, to finally canola oil and whole milk... And I'll change it again when I use non-dairy almond milk!)

A co-worker brought Pecan Pie Mini-Muffins to the office earlier this week, and I was immediately hooked. They are like pralines, but with egg and flour added to make them into muffins! I knew immediately that my family would absolutely love them. I used "white whole wheat" flour for both recipes. They both turned out great!

Now for the recipes.

Pumpkin Poppers
adapted from The Domestication Project
originally from StrawBerry CAKE
Makes: 18-24 mini-muffins

Ingredients:
1-3/4 cup all-purpose flour (whole wheat flour optional)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree (no sugar or spices added)
1/2 cup milk
Topping:
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbs. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 F, place paper liners in 2 mini-muffin tins (optional), and spray tins with non-stick cooking spray.

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and spices in a bowl and whisk until combine.

In another bowl, mix oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin, and milk.  Pour in flour mixture and mix until just combined.  Fill mini muffin tins until almost full. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly on the tops of the muffins. Bake 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.


Pecan Pie Muffins
Makes 30-36 mini-muffins

Ingredients:
2/3 cup (11 Tbs.) butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (whole wheat flour optional)
2 cups chopped pecans
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 F and place paper liners in 3 mini-muffin tins.

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt butter in the microwave, about 40 seconds, and let cool slightly. Combine brown sugar, flour, and pecans in another bowl. Mix eggs with melted butter. Stir egg mixture into flour mixture until moistened.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full, and bake 15-20 minutes for full-size muffins (10-12 minutes for mini-muffins). Start checking for doneness at 15 minutes (8 minutes for mini). You can use the toothpick test - you want "sticky" but not "gooey" - don't bake past "sticky" or you'll get muffin rocks! Cool on wire racks.