Pumpkin Cheddar Muffins
These pumpkin cheddar muffins are unique, surprising, and extremely delicious. They’ll be a new favorite!
What is the first thing you do when you pick up a new cookbook?
Do you read the information on the back?
Look at the pictures?
Check the table of contents?
I’m a flipper. I flip through the pages to see what catches my eye. Then I delve in deeper.
One of the first things I noticed about Baked Explorations by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito was the friendly layout, deep, rich colors and wide variety of recipes.
Other things I love:
- There are sections about kitchen tools/equipment and terms/brand recommendations. Both include very educational and helpful information, especially if you are a new baker.
- The authors have a sense of humor which makes the cookbook really enjoyable to read.
- Each recipe includes a “Baked Note,” which is helpful information about the recipe or an educational/interesting tidbit about that particular dessert. I love this feature. It makes this book different than any other baking cookbook.
- The cookbook includes a huge variety of recipes from Black and White Cookies to Monkey Bread to Strawberry Jello Salad.
Things I wish were different (because I’m always going to give you my honest opinion!):
- I wish there was more pictures. I’m a very visual person and I love my cookbooks to be jam packed with color photographs. I’m greedy–I want a picture of every recipe. However, the photos definitely make up in quality what they lack in quantity–they are gorgeous. (Photos by Tina Rupp.)
- That’s all I have. It’s a good book!
The book’s stats:
- Complete Title: Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented
- Authors: Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito
- Authors’ bio (from publisher): “Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito left their day jobs in advertising five years ago to open their bakery, Baked, in Brooklyn, NY, to immediate praise from fans across the country. The authors have been featured on Oprah, the Today show, the Food Network, and Martha Stewart. Their first book, Baked, was an IACP award nominee. Lewis and Poliafito live in New York City.”
Some recipes that I really want to try:
- Whiskey Pear Tart
- Chocolate Mint Thumbprints
- Orange Creamsicle Tart
- Sweet and Salty Brownie
- Maple Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
I mean, really. How good do those all sound? In reality, I should just say that I want to try:
- every
- single
- recipe
- !
So, if you even have the smallest sweet tooth, make sure you order the book.
The recipe I’m featuring is Pumpkin Cheddar Muffins, from the Breakfast section of the cookbook, and these muffins will not disappoint. Especially if you’re someone who doesn’t love super sweet breakfasts. Pumpkin cheddar muffins have the perfect balance of sweet and savory with a touch of cayenne to keep things interesting.
The authors suggest topping the muffins with pumpkin seeds which would look beautiful and add a great crunch, but I used all mine for these recipes and didn’t have any left.
Pumpkin Cheddar Muffins
These pumpkin cheddar muffins are unique, surprising, and extremely delicious. They’ll be a new favorite!
Ingredients
- 1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin purée (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
- 3 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
- 1 1/4 cups (about 4 ounces) grated sharp cheddar
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly spray each cup of a standard 12-cup muffin pan with a little bit of vegetable spray and use a paper towel to spread the oil evenly along the bottom and up the sides of each cup.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin and sour cream. Add the eggs and butter and whisk until combined.
- In another large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cayenne pepper, salt, black pepper, and brown sugar. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the well, and fold until just combined. Fold in three-quarters of the cheese.
- Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar and the pumpkin seeds on top of the muffins. Bake them for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Let the muffin pan cool on a rack for 10 minutes before turning out the muffins. Serve them warm.
Notes
- Muffins taste best when eaten fresh, but they can be made ahead of time and reheated in a 200°F oven.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 muffinAmount Per Serving: Calories: 150Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 364mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 1gSugar: 8gProtein: 4g
RachelCooks.com sometimes provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as they are not calculated by a registered dietitian. Please consult a medical professional for any specific nutrition, diet, or allergy advice.
Verdict: So tasty! I love the flavor complexity of these muffins. They are really great with the pumpkin seeds on top to add some textural variety.
Husband’s take: He never tried them. I think know he was a little freaked out by the cheddar-pumpkin combination. My parents were visiting, tried the muffins, and loved them. My mom asked for the recipe. Here it is, mom!
Changes I would make: Not a single one. These aren’t low-fat, with a whole stick of butter plus the cheese, but they are a great treat. They would be fantastic for a brunch. Also–I have a good helping of butter on them for the pictures, but they really don’t need it. They are very moist and delicious without it. But…a little extra butter is never a bad thing.
Difficulty: Easy!
Disclosure: I was sent a free book to review and free brownies to try. However, all opinions expressed in this post are, as always, 100% my own. I was not compensated for this post other than the free book/brownies.
62 Comments on “Pumpkin Cheddar Muffins”
Super my next favorite as I love pumpkin Many thanks.
So glad you like these! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
These muffins….WOW!! Every word I think of seems an understatement! Absolutely divine texture and flavour and id recommend anyone to make these, go great as a side with meats or for a brunch with maple bacon. I can’t have enough of them. After my first batch which was for tea tonight, people wanted to taste what the beautiful smell was! And by 1pm the whole batch was gone. So I’ve made double the batch for tea tonight now!! Thanks RachelCooks for another timeless faultless recipe x
So glad you like this muffins! :) Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Nine years later….I’m cooking my way through the pandemic and pulled this cookbook off the shelf to try some of the recipes I’ve never made before. I really enjoy the taste of these muffins, especially the spice level. But I find the texture a little dense. I thought I made them wrong, but then from your pictures I see I have about the same texture as you have in yours. I was a little worried about this after seeing how thick the batter was. Any suggestions for trying to lighten it the texture?
They are a very dense, heavy muffin. I like them that way but if you want to try lightening them up, I’d try increasing the baking powder a little. I haven’t tried it though, so I can’t make any promises. Let me know if you give it a go!
Excelente receta. Sencillamente exquisitos.
Thank you!
This book, and the brownies, look amazing!
Those muffins look delicious, really lovely photos!
OMG I have been wanting this book forever! All of the recipes sound so good and homey. The pumpkin muffins look amazing, and I’m sure they didn’t disappoint! Great giveaway!
WOW this will make a great addition to my family Christmas Holiday brunch! I can’t wait to try them – thank you!!!!
They look so delicious!
Those sound very very interesting. I might have to try pumpkin/cheese muffins.
Oh how I love pumpkin everything!!
you have me drooling over those muffins!
Wow – these muffins look great! Different flavor combination, but sounds delicious!
Gorgeous muffins.
I’m so intrigued by this recipe!! I’ve flipped through the book a few times and would LOVE to own it!
This is one of the cookbooks I adore and have bookmarked this recipe to try!
I shared this recipe on Facebook, and one of my friends made it. He said there were none left! Looking forward to making it myself!
I’m a flipper too…glad you flpped to this great recipe :)
These muffins sound AMAZING!!!!!
Those muffins look so good. I would have never thought of cheese and pumpkin, but it makes such perfect sense, doesn’t it?
This cookbook looks great! I’m with you on the pictures. I love my cookbooks jam packed with pictures. I think it’s because I visually need to see what the recipe should *fingers crossed* look like :)
These look so delicious, I have been so into all of the pumpkin recipes this year!
What a fascinating combo – pumpkin and cheddar….why not! I’ve been eyeing this lovely cookbook for awhile now. I want it more than ever now! :-)
Oooh, those look really good Rachel. I think the combination of cheddar cheese and pumpkin actually sounds really good. Oh, and I’m a flipper too :-)
Those look awesome! I’m not sure I’ve ever paired cheese with pumpkin but I can see how it works!
I LOVE this recipe. I’m a big fan of cheddar and pumpkin, but haven’t had them together. Now I will :)
I know what you mean about husbands and trying somthing different…I put coffee flavoring in my brownies and my husband wouldn’t eveb try them!
Hi Rachel! These muffins look fantastic and I have really, really wanted that cookbook. I have flipped through it several times and have put it on my Christmas list!
WOW! I’m a “flipper” too and those recipes look awesome! Plus, My DIL is a baking fiend, trying out new recipes all the time and posting them in her blog about baking and having a new baby :-) Hope I can give her this book for Christmas!
I’m a picture gal too! I loved Cooking Without Borders, but it also lack many photos. I am all in on this recipe, in moderation, as I adore cayenne, cheese and the pumpkin combo!
The muffins look so yummy.
These muffins rock. So good. Maybe you’ll join us for Baked Sunday Mornings? We’re working our way through the book! http://bakedsundaymornings.com
What a cool idea for a virtual potluck! I have never tried the cheddar pumpkin combo before.
These look amazing! Totally my style. Would it be overkill to eat these with FarmGirl’s butternut squash mac and cheese? See ya round the #virtualpotluck on Twitter!
I am a flipper/photos draw me in. Basic recipes are key, leaving room for those of us who just have to venture off into our ‘variations’.
I am going to do a mini version of these muffins for our Thanksgiving Morning breakfast/brunch! They will be perfect! I ‘liked’ baked on FB; subscribed to email; shared link on FB; tweeted post; posted comment here and will now go to another’s giveaway to register with them! This is F U N!!!
Make sure you leave separate comments for each of the methods you used to enter, or I can’t count them as multiple entries! :) PS: Mini versions sound GREAT, especially with how dense and rich these muffins are. Great idea!
Thanks Rachel! It’s kinda a trick that I use for muffins. Older ladies watching there weight (lol) will eat 2-3 mini muffins where they won’t touch a regular size one; they would rather starve ;) Doing the mini version, they can ‘sample’ heehee!!! Really looking forward to trying them. Prob do a trial run Thursday on my day off!
looks like an awesome book
I went to Brooklyn (from Portland, OR) in August and vistited the Baked Bakery just to meet those fellas. I have been obsessed with their recipes since I saw them on Martha a couple years ago. I don’t have this cookbook yet, and would love to have it! I “liked” your FB page, “liked” Baked ages ago, subscribed to your blog, mentioned you on my FB page, and commented. Please pick me!
Wow, how fun to visit the bakery! Please leave a separate entry for each of the actions you took, otherwise I cannot count them as entries—and it sounds like you need this book! :)
I can not wait to try this recipe! sounds delicious.
Your muffins look delicious.
Those muffins sound perfect. I’m not afraid of a cheddar/pumpkin combo :)
Love new recipes and new cookbooks! I’m with you – lots of pictures will pull me in. Lack of or none at all will turn me off. There have been books on my lists before that I completely turned down due to no pictures!
Omgosh..these look delicious. I can’t wait to make these. Heading to Sprouts today to purchase all the ingredients.
Love your summary of the book. I’ve been on a pumpkin streak so I think these will be made soon!
These muffins sound great, although I’d probably make a few changes to make them a bit healthier. Love the idea of pumpkin and cheddar together. BTW, I’m a flipper too!
I’m not a baker. Just like your husband is not a vegetarian. But i try. I can make cake out of boxes very well… but when i try to bake say, beer bread muffins? nope. hard. as. rocks. maybe i’ll try this
These muffins look SO good.
This book sounds fantastic!! I have a family Thanksgiving thing this weekend I am going to make these muffins!
Muffins look great, two of my favorite foods combined!
Wow, looks like a beautiful book! Thanks for sharing the recipe. :)
This looks like an awesome cookbook! Would love to try it. :)
I’m not a big fan of super sweet things in the morning, so these sound perfect. I’ve never thought about combining pumpkin and cheddar, but now I totally want to. Thanks!
Comment. Comment. Oh my goodness, comment! I have wanted this book for aaaaages. :D
Goodness….they look so amazingly good!!! I can almost taste them. Great post!
xoxo
Heather
The muffins look and sound amazing!