Nothing says Spring like...

Pumpkin muffins? Okay, maybe that is a bit of a stretch, but I needed a quick, portable, semi-healthy snack for the girls this afternoon. And then I spied a bag of chocolate chips, and it just went downhill from there.

Here is my pumpkin muffin recipe in case you have a few more weeks of chilly weather whatever the daffodils and calendar may say.

Pumpkin Muffins

3 cups King Arthur White Wheat Flour (this is what makes it healthy before you add in all the sugar!)

1 1/2 cups white sugar ( I have a friend who only uses 1 cup; when I tried that, no one ate them.)

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cloves (I like to actually taste the spices!)

1/2 tsp nutmeg (I am totally hooked on freshly-ground nutmeg - especially in my coffee with vanilla creamer.)

1/2 c oil

1/4 - 1/3 c buttermilk

3 eggs

15 oz canned pumpkin (Surely all the sugar cannot cancel out the Vitamin A!)

optional ingredients: walnuts, dried or fresh cranberries, currants, and chocolate chips. (My grandparents like it fully loaded; my immediate family does not.)

And then, you know, you mix the dry ingredients together. Then you mix the wet ingredients together. Then you combine them, adding more buttermilk if necessary. Bake at 350 until done. :)

Today, I baked some in muffin-top pans, sliced them open, and stuffed them with chocolate chips. They were a big hit! A smooshy big hit!

My heartfelt sympathies go out to the friends and family of Lisa of the Primitive Needle.

Every day is a gift.