“What kid doesn’t love a “cupcake” with icing? I have three children of my own (now adults), and before owning a restaurant, I owned and ran a licensed daycare. Being a health-conscious mother and caregiver, I always looked for ways to make healthy dessert alternatives – and this muffin “cupcake” was an all-time favourite among all the kids. The secret is the icing – when you add food colouring and a few sprinkles, kids will devour the whole thing!
It has always been very important to me to incorporate Indigenous ancestral ingredients into our diet. We are caregivers of the land, and I grow many ancestral ingredients in my garden. Growing, harvesting, and cooking them together with my children has been time well spent – like we did for the pumpkin in this recipe. I found baking was often the easiest way to coax the kids to cook with me in the kitchen – another reason this recipe is a favourite of mine – and I look forward to doing so with my grandchildren one day too.” – Chef Christa Bruneau-Guenther
Pumpkin Bran Muffins With Cream Cheese Icing
Ingredients
Muffins
- ¾ cup wheat bran flakes
- ¾ cup whole wheat flour
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup canned or freshly cooked pumpkin purée
- 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- ⅓ cup grapeseed canola, or vegetable oil
- ¼ cup raisins or chopped walnuts or a combination
Icing
- ½ cup cream cheese at room temperature
- 3 tbsp icing sugar
- 2 drops food colouring optional Rainbow sprinkles (optional
Instructions
Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners, or lightly grease the tin. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the bran, flour, both sugars, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir to combine.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the pumpkin purée, egg and egg yolk, yogurt, and oil. Add this to the large bowl of dry ingredients and mix to just combine. Do not overmix. Transfer the batter to the muffin tin.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the muffins are golden brown and spring back to the touch. Remove from the oven and let cool on a cooling rack before icing.
Icing
- In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese and icing sugar until smooth and creamy. Add food colouring, if desired.
- Once the muffins are cool, top them with the icing and sprinkles. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or freezer for up to 3 months.
