Taking trips to the farmer’s market, playground and pumpkin patch are some of my favorite things to do with my family this time of year.  I was inspired during a recent trip to Duffield’s Farm Market to do some baking and thought it would be a perfect activity for my toddler too. I found a simple recipe for pumpkin muffins and adjusted it to make it a bit healthier for my family. Since these muffins aren’t super sweet and are made with whole wheat flour, they can also be a good anytime snack for a mom-to-be. (I was always looking for healthier options to curb my sweet tooth during my pregnancy!)

Ingredients:

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• Juice from 1 large orange
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice blend
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup pure pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling

Directions:

• Take out a 12-cup muffin pan and muffin liners (you can use seasonal ones for fun!)
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line the muffin pan with muffin liners and lightly coat with cooking spray.
• Combine the cranberries and orange juice in a small microwave-safe bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and poke a small hole to vent. Microwave until the orange juice is warm, 30 seconds to 1 minute, depending on the strength of your microwave.
• Set aside to let the cranberries plump, about 5 minutes, then drain off the juice.
• Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt into a medium bowl and set aside.
• Whisk together the butter, plumped cranberries, pumpkin puree, milk, eggs and orange zest in a large bowl.
• Add the flour-spice mixture to the pumpkin mixture and gently fold the batter together until it has combined (it’s ok if there are a few lumps.)
• Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups and sprinkle the top of each muffin generously with the turbinado sugar.
• Bake until golden brown or when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, roughly 20 to 24 minutes.
• Cool the muffins in the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe adapted from foodnetwork.com