I got some butternut squash and cranberries (both I am not fond of) in my 'Bountiful Basket' last week. Not having a clue what to do with them, I came up with this surprisingly yummy muffin. I made up this recipe with what I had on hand. It is really very light, tasty, and not too sweet. I serve mine with honey or sweetened cream cheese. If possible, always choose organic.
Made half a recipe, and since I wanted big muffins, ended up with eight. Not sure why the recipe author has both ground nutmeg and freshly-grated nutmeg (?), but I used all freshly-grated. The other thing that puzzled me was putting fresh ginger root in a garlic press (and I have a good one) because that simply didn't work. I ended up finely grating the ginger. This does have a lot of ingredients, but the end result is good. The taste mimics pumpkin bread, they're moist, not overly sweet, and I like that pop of tartness from the cranberries. Nice recipe BITWITCH. Read More
I reduced to 1/3 C Dark Brown sugar and 1/3 C granulated sugar. Also used only 2 large eggs 2 tsp Ground Ginger and 1tsp. Ground cloves 1/3 cup local honey 1/2 C applesauce and they were fab!! Read More
Made half a recipe, and since I wanted big muffins, ended up with eight. Not sure why the recipe author has both ground nutmeg and freshly-grated nutmeg (?), but I used all freshly-grated. The other thing that puzzled me was putting fresh ginger root in a garlic press (and I have a good one) because that simply didn't work. I ended up finely grating the ginger. This does have a lot of ingredients, but the end result is good. The taste mimics pumpkin bread, they're moist, not overly sweet, and I like that pop of tartness from the cranberries. Nice recipe BITWITCH. Read More
Didn't have fresh cranberries so I soaked dried ones in hot water. Also used 1 tsp. ground ginger instead of fresh and 1 1/4 tsp. fresh ground nutmeg. 1 cup w/w flour 2 cups white. Turned out very nice. Will make again?? Read More
I really liked this recipe! It's nice to be able to use up a substantial amount of squash in one recipe, and the coconut oil, squash, spices, and cranberry go very well together. I didn't have fresh nutmeg or safflower oil, so skipped the grated nutmeg and used applesauce instead of the safflower oil. I halved the sugar and then sprinkled a bit more brown sugar over the top, which caramelized nicely. Also, while mixing, I poured a bit of boiling water over it to help melt the coconut oil.
I think some chopped walnuts would make this a 5 star recipe, but I didn't add them this time so that my son could take it to his nut-free school in his lunchbag. Read More
I reduced to 1/3 C Dark Brown sugar and 1/3 C granulated sugar. Also used only 2 large eggs 2 tsp Ground Ginger and 1tsp. Ground cloves 1/3 cup local honey 1/2 C applesauce and they were fab!! Read More
Made recipe as written w/ these changes: used half whole-wheat pastry flour and half all-purpose flour used half the white sugar called for and 1/4 c less brown sugar omitted freshly grated nutmeg (increase ground nutmeg by same amt) substituted olive oil for safflower oil used small wild low-bush cranberries (frozen when added to mix). The muffins came out okay if a little greasy when served warm (I used ungreased paper-lined muffin tins standard and mini-muffin sizes). This seems to happen when using coconut oil in most baked goods if you don't adjust the dry ingredients. The muffins were much better the next morning after cooling uncovered on counter (seemed less greasy as coconut fat is solid @ room temp) with nice crisp tops. The crumb is nice but the muffins are too homogenous/blah texture-wise; however I prefer more texture in my muffins. I will make this again adding 1 1/2- 2 c of toasted chopped walnuts or pecans and doubling the amount of cranberries. I'll probably use all olive oil (or at least sub unsweetened applesauce)to omit coconut oil to reduce the saturated fat and hopefully mitigate the greasiness when served warm. The sweetness and flavor are good even with the reduced sugar and without the fresh grated nutmeg. Thanks for a great use of squash and cranberries!! Read More
Not bad had a decent crown but then again with this much sugar I feel like they are more a desert cake then a breakfast type muffin. If you put a lot of sugar in anything it usually tastes good but not so good for you. Read More
Our CSA farm share gives us a lot of squash this time of year, so I am always looking for new ways to use it. I used a kabocha squash (which cooks up and mashes very like Butternut), a little extra dried powdered nutmeg (since I didn't have any fresh), and chopped ginger from a jar. I did find the batter a little dry, and added about 1/2 cup of milk to moisten it to a better consistency. The finished muffins were very tasty and moist, so maybe the milk wasn't really necessary. Read More
Now, I don't like my muffins too sweet.. so I made some changes. I used 2 cups whole wheat flour, 1 cup all purpose, half of what the original recipe calls for both white and brown sugars, all spices the same amount but I didn't have fresh ginger so I used about 1 tsp ground ginger I had. I used about a cup and a half of fresh cranberries, and subbed the saffron oil for applesauce.
These were good and will make again, but the spices completely masked the butternut squash taste. I will probably use only half of the spices called for to get more of a savory muffin versus a dessert muffin. Thanks! Read More
Good muffin overall, flavorful and hearty. I made 1/2 batch (12) with 1/3 c of each sugar. Cut cloves by half, was still pretty prominent. Substituted applesauce for safflower oil. Used shredded squash and cooked in the microwave for about 5 min until soft. Used 3/4 c craisins soaked in hot water instead of fresh and added 3/4 c chopped pecans. About 225cal per muffin. Read More
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-)Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.
Made half a recipe, and since I wanted big muffins, ended up with eight. Not sure why the recipe author has both ground nutmeg and freshly-grated nutmeg (?), but I used all freshly-grated. The other thing that puzzled me was putting fresh ginger root in a garlic press (and I have a good one) because that simply didn't work. I ended up finely grating the ginger. This does have a lot of ingredients, but the end result is good. The taste mimics pumpkin bread, they're moist, not overly sweet, and I like that pop of tartness from the cranberries. Nice recipe BITWITCH.
Didn't have fresh cranberries so I soaked dried ones in hot water. Also used 1 tsp. ground ginger instead of fresh and 1 1/4 tsp. fresh ground nutmeg. 1 cup w/w flour 2 cups white. Turned out very nice. Will make again??
I really liked this recipe! It's nice to be able to use up a substantial amount of squash in one recipe, and the coconut oil, squash, spices, and cranberry go very well together. I didn't have fresh nutmeg or safflower oil, so skipped the grated nutmeg and used applesauce instead of the safflower oil. I halved the sugar and then sprinkled a bit more brown sugar over the top, which caramelized nicely. Also, while mixing, I poured a bit of boiling water over it to help melt the coconut oil.
I think some chopped walnuts would make this a 5 star recipe, but I didn't add them this time so that my son could take it to his nut-free school in his lunchbag.
I reduced to 1/3 C Dark Brown sugar and 1/3 C granulated sugar. Also used only 2 large eggs 2 tsp Ground Ginger and 1tsp. Ground cloves 1/3 cup local honey 1/2 C applesauce and they were fab!!
Made recipe as written w/ these changes: used half whole-wheat pastry flour and half all-purpose flour used half the white sugar called for and 1/4 c less brown sugar omitted freshly grated nutmeg (increase ground nutmeg by same amt) substituted olive oil for safflower oil used small wild low-bush cranberries (frozen when added to mix). The muffins came out okay if a little greasy when served warm (I used ungreased paper-lined muffin tins standard and mini-muffin sizes). This seems to happen when using coconut oil in most baked goods if you don't adjust the dry ingredients. The muffins were much better the next morning after cooling uncovered on counter (seemed less greasy as coconut fat is solid @ room temp) with nice crisp tops. The crumb is nice but the muffins are too homogenous/blah texture-wise; however I prefer more texture in my muffins. I will make this again adding 1 1/2- 2 c of toasted chopped walnuts or pecans and doubling the amount of cranberries. I'll probably use all olive oil (or at least sub unsweetened applesauce)to omit coconut oil to reduce the saturated fat and hopefully mitigate the greasiness when served warm. The sweetness and flavor are good even with the reduced sugar and without the fresh grated nutmeg. Thanks for a great use of squash and cranberries!!
Not bad had a decent crown but then again with this much sugar I feel like they are more a desert cake then a breakfast type muffin. If you put a lot of sugar in anything it usually tastes good but not so good for you.
Our CSA farm share gives us a lot of squash this time of year, so I am always looking for new ways to use it. I used a kabocha squash (which cooks up and mashes very like Butternut), a little extra dried powdered nutmeg (since I didn't have any fresh), and chopped ginger from a jar. I did find the batter a little dry, and added about 1/2 cup of milk to moisten it to a better consistency. The finished muffins were very tasty and moist, so maybe the milk wasn't really necessary.
Now, I don't like my muffins too sweet.. so I made some changes. I used 2 cups whole wheat flour, 1 cup all purpose, half of what the original recipe calls for both white and brown sugars, all spices the same amount but I didn't have fresh ginger so I used about 1 tsp ground ginger I had. I used about a cup and a half of fresh cranberries, and subbed the saffron oil for applesauce.
These were good and will make again, but the spices completely masked the butternut squash taste. I will probably use only half of the spices called for to get more of a savory muffin versus a dessert muffin. Thanks!
Good muffin overall, flavorful and hearty. I made 1/2 batch (12) with 1/3 c of each sugar. Cut cloves by half, was still pretty prominent. Substituted applesauce for safflower oil. Used shredded squash and cooked in the microwave for about 5 min until soft. Used 3/4 c craisins soaked in hot water instead of fresh and added 3/4 c chopped pecans. About 225cal per muffin.
