Mumpkins (Halloween Pumpkin Muffins)

Since I, Nikki, clearly have not mastered the fine art of speech, I accidentally called this treat a mumpkin when offering it to a coworker. "Please, try my delicious mumpkins!" If you think about it, I somehow created a word only a dyslexic would say. At least I didn't lie - they were delicious. And they actually baked properly this time. It appears that smaller scale baked goods turn out much better in my oven.

I made these Halloween treats to bribe people to vote for the pumpkin the Marketing Department carved. This year we went all out to beat our second place showing from last year. Since the pictures aren't great, I'll share that we shoved a fishbowl in a pumpkin and made a fishy graveyard. Our entry wouldn't be complete without a live Betta fish. Our entry is aptly titled, "One Fish, Two Fish, Dead Fish, Blue Fish."

Halloween Pumpkin Muffins

Adapted from 500 Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. allpice

1 1/4 cups superfine sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup milk

1 cup pumpkin puree

Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Place 12 paper baking cups in a cupcake/muffin pan.

In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, beat the oil, eggs, and millk. Stir in the pumpkin puree. Combine the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture, and spoon into the cups. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove pan and cool for at least 30 minutes before frosting.

I used Krissy's famous buttercream recipe for frosting. I wanted to use cream cheese frosting but realized I had no cream cheese right before whipping it up. So then I decided to make the buttercream, only I had no heavy whipping cream. Right before I was going to use buttermilk as a substitute, a carton of cream appeared right next to the milk. My frosting was saved. This recipe really is the very best. I used a little less than 3 cups of powdered sugar, and it was just the right balance of sweet for the mumpkins.