Happiness is a Pumpkin Muffin

In case you missed it, yesterday was the first day of fall. I couldn't be happier, because this is my favorite time of year (and not just because my birthday is in October). Autumn means cable sweaters, cozy scarves, comfortable boots, crisp weather, colorful leaves. It also means pumpkin everything.... can you say yummy?

Being pregnant, of course I had to satisfy the pumpkin craving that hit me yesterday. I initially thought of making bread. Then I realized I didn't have a bread pan, and I was missing a lot of the ingredients included in the recipes I was finding. Yes, these are easy fixes, but I was being lazy and wanted (almost) instant gratification.

Suddenly, I remembered the perfect recipe for pumpkin muffins. It was one my mom had shown me, which she had got from Weight Watchers. Here is it:

Easy-Peasy Pumpkin Muffins

Makes about 24 mini muffins

Ingredients

• 1 can (15 oz) of 100% pure pumpkin
• 1 box cake mix
• Spice Cake or Carrot Cake work best in my opinion, but you could also use White Cake or Angel Food
• Pumpkin Pie Spice to taste
• If using the White Cake or Angel Food, you will definitely use more spice in order to achieve the perfect flavor

Method

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Lightly grease mini muffin tin
• Mix everything together in a large bowl
• Scoop mixture into muffin tin
• Bake for approximately 12-15 minutes
• Enjoy!

Pretty simple, is it not? Pippa was certainly happy with them :)

They are super delicious, and stay moist for up to a week. They also freeze really well!

These little muffins are surprisingly healthy, too. Pumpkin has a ton of fiber in it, and the cake mix isn't too bad when you don't add all the oil and eggs. I was even thinking for the future mixing up my own "cake" mix using whole wheat flour. It would be super easy to make a batch of just the dry ingredients, pre-portion it, and keep it in my pantry for the next time a craving hits.

If you try out this recipe, let me know what you think!