Spiced pumpkin muffins made with fresh or canned pumpkin puree, soaked dates and warming spices. They are fluffy and moist and full of autumnal flavour, perfect for an afternoon treat on a cold and blustery day.
👩🏻🍳 Why make this recipe
Pumpkin muffins are my favourite way to use up any pumpkin leftovers from Halloween. I just half and deseed the pumpkin and then get it in the oven to roast for half an hour. The soft, caramelised pumpkin flesh can then be blended into a puree, ready to go into the muffin mix.
The muffin mixture itself takes just 10 minutes to whip together and doesn't require a machine. These moist, spiced pumpkin muffins will fill your house with the aroma of warming spices and sweet pumpkin. Great served warm out of the oven and extra special when served with a cinnamon cream cheese icing (mascarpone, cream, vanilla pod seeds and cinnamon).
🥘 Ingredients
To make 12 - 14 spiced pumpkin muffins you will need:
Ingredient notes
Flour: Use plain or all purpose flour.
Pumpkin: I like to use a fresh pumpkin in this recipe but you can also use 1 tin of pumpkin puree if you prefer. If you do decide to use fresh pumpkin, pick a small one weighing around 1kg. In terms of the type of pumpkin any variety of winter squash will do. If you are struggling to get hold of a pumpkin you can use butternut squash instead.
Golden syrup: This is a UK based product and is best not substituted if it can be helped. Its thick and smooth with a golden colour and has a unique sweet, caramel, buttery taste. If you can't find it in your local store you can easily make your own golden syrup.
Bicarbonate of soda: This is the same as baking soda or sodium bicarbonate.
Spices: I use cinnamon and ginger in this recipe, but feel free to try with other spices such as nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, or, if you have it, pumpkin pie spice.
Dates: These are optional but I love the fibrous texture and intense caramel flavour that they give. They work best if they are soaked in a little warm water before going into the mix.
🔪 Step by step instructions
- Pre heat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a muffin tray with muffin liners. Slice the pumpkin in half, remove the seeds and roast for 30 minutes or until soft and slightly caramelised.
- Meanwhile, roughly chop the dates and soak in 100ml of warm water, allowing them to slowly fall apart.
- In a large bowl mix together the flour, bicarb of soda, cinnamon and ginger.
- Melt the butter, brown sugar, and golden syrup over a low heat in a small pan.
- Remove the roasted pumpkin from the oven, peel or slice off the skin and roughly slice up the flesh.
- Use a hand blender or blending machine to blend the roast pumpkin into a puree.
- Next add the melted butter and sugar mixture to the flour and spices mixture, followed by the soaked dates (including water) and the pumpkin puree.
- Carefully mix and fold everything together until fully combined.
- Next whisk up the egg and gradually add to the muffin mixture, stirring well between each addition.
- Finally, spoon the muffin mix into the muffin liners. Leave a small gap at the top (½ cm) to allow the muffins to rise in the oven. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 30 minutes.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Allow to fully cool then place in an air tight container. If you need to layer the muffins in the container, then place a paper towel between each layer. Muffins will keep well for 3-4 days.
Once baked allow to cool then either place in an air tight container or wrap in a double layer of cling film. Then freeze for up to 3 moths. To defrost leave on the side for a few hours or microwave in 30 second bursts until slightly warmed through.
Strictly speaking you don't have to use liners. You could just grease your muffin tray and pour the muffin mix straight into it.
However, liners do make life so much easier. No greasing required and the muffins come out of tray without any difficulty. The liners also make the muffins easier to handle and serve and they will also help to keep them fresher for longer.
🍰 Other Autumn baking recipes
- Yorkshire Parkin Recipe
- Cinnamon Swirls
- Plum and rhubarb crumble
- Apple crumble
- Bakewell tart
- How to Roast Chestnuts
- Christmas cake muffins
If you've tried this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below. Or leave a review in the comments section further down. I always appreciate your feedback! You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Sign up for my email list, too!
📖 Recipe
Spiced Pumpkin Muffins
Equipment
- Muffin tray and muffin liners
- Roasting tray (to roast fresh pumpkin)
- Blender or hand blender (to puree roasted fresh pumpkin)
- Large mixing bowl
- Small pan
Ingredients
- 1 small pumpkin/squash 1kg or 1 can Pumpkin puree
- 100 g dates and 100ml of warm water
- 250 g Plain flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Ginger
- 150 g Butter
- 150 g Brown sugar
- 100 g Golden syrup
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Pre heat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a muffin tray with muffin liners.
- Slice the pumpkin in half, remove the seeds and roast for 30 minutes or until soft and slightly caramelised.
- Meanwhile, roughly chop the dates and soak in 100ml of warm water, allowing them to slowly fall apart.
- In a large bowl mix together the flour, bicarb of soda, cinnamon and ginger.
- Melt the butter, brown sugar, and golden syrup over a low heat in a small pan.
- Remove the roasted pumpkin from the oven, peel or slice off the skin and roughly slice up the flesh.
- Use a hand blender or blending machine to blend the roast pumpkin into a puree.
- Next add the melted butter and sugar mixture to the flour and spices mixture, followed by the soaked dates (including water) and the pumpkin puree.
- Carefully mix and fold everything together until fully combined.
- Next whisk up the egg and gradually add to the muffin mixture, stirring well between each addition.
- Finally, spoon the muffin mix into the muffin liners. Leave a small gap at the top (½ cm) to allow the muffins to rise in the oven.
- Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 30 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool
Nutrition
Notes
- Flour: Use plain or all purpose flour.
- Pumpkin: Use 1 small (1kg) fresh pumpkin/squash or 1 can of pumpkin puree.
- Golden syrup: This is a UK based product and is best not substituted if it can be helped. If you can't find it in your local store you can easily make your own.
- Bicarbonate of soda: This is the same as baking soda or sodium bicarbonate.
- Spices: Ginger and cinnamon can be replaced or added to with nutmeg, cardamom, allspice or pumpkin pie spice.
- Dates: optional. Work best if they are soaked in a little warm water before going into the mix.
This post was first published in October 2017. Updated in October 2020 with new images, an improved recipe, new step-by-step photos and new recipe tips.
Josephine B
I forgot to mention that I'd like to know what is meant by "75g SYRUP". What syrup is used in these muffins please?
Debbie
Hi Josephine, this recipe uses golden syrup but maple would also work.
Hope you enjoy the recipe!!
Josephine B
Thank you for your quick reply. I happen to have both in my pantry at the moment, now no excuse for not making them.
Caroline @ The Cappuccino Diaries
These spiced pumpkin muffins sound and look amazing, will definitely have to give this recipe a try.
Caroline x
Debbie
Thanks so much for you're lovely comment Caroline 🙂 Hope you do get chance to give them go 🙂
hijackedbytwins
Oh wow these look fantastic! We are doing pumpkins later in the week, these are a must try! Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x
Debbie
Thanks Kirsty! Hope you managed to make some spooky pumpkins and maybe some muffins as well 🙂
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain
These sound absolutely delicious Debbie, they sound so flavoursome with the dates in there alsongside the pumpkin 🙂
Angela x
Debbie
Thank you Angela! I think dates are so good in puddings so I just had to add them in to these muffins 🙂
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain
You're so right, dates are amazing in puddings and bakes - but for some reason sometimes I feel as though they're very much under-rated! Thankyou for joining in with #BakingCrumbs, it's great to have you there 🙂
Angela x
Debbie
an absolute pleasure to be involved Angela - and thanks so much for organising and hosting 🙂
Kat (The Baking Explorer)
They sound absolutely scrumptious and such a great idea for avoiding pumpkin waste! Thanks for linking up to #TreatPetite
Debbie
Thank you Kat 🙂
joskitchenlarder
These look and sound lovely Debbie! There is nothing better than a lovely pumpkin muffin at this time of year, is there. Love the idea of adding dates and that citrus icing sounds delish too! x
Debbie
Thank you Jo!! oh I know - really loving the pumpkin muffin at the mo 🙂
Corina
Oh yum! These look delicious! I will definitely be doing some more baking with pumpkin soon when we get our Halloween pumpkins and I love the idea of adding some dates to the muffins to make them extra moist and yummy. Thanks so much for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice
Debbie
Thanks so much Corina! Yes the dates really add something extra special - really love the texture 🙂
Christine
Hello, these muffins look delicious but I'm not sure what you mean by "syrup ". What kind would that be? I live in New York so if it's golden syrup I'd have to substitute. Thanks
Debbie
Hi Christine! Thanks for pointing that out - I used golden syrup xx
Debbie
Honey would probably work instead of the syrup - or for a little more flavour you could try black treacle xx
passion fruit, paws and peonies
These look wonderfully healthy and delicious! x #brillblogposts
Debbie
Thanks so much 🙂