Sweet and Healthy

Here in Australia we don't tend to use pumpkin in sweet dishes. We bake it, roast it, steam it and mash it. We use it in frittatas and vegie slice. We sometimes use a bit of leftover mashed pumpkin to whip up a batch of pumpkin scones but that's about it for sweet stuff. Until now. I made these Pumpkin and Sultana Muffins a week or so ago and they were a big hit with everyone who tried them. My kids loved them and the across-the-roads son told me, very seriously, that they were really delicious and that I should give the recipe to his Mum because she'd like them. A lot. I filled her in and, since she picked up a copy of the same magazine, she's planning to give them a try too.

These were fabulously light and fluffy fresh from the oven but not so fab the next day. I have two suggestions to deal with this. 1. Eat the whole lot the same afternoon you make them. Or 2. Eat what you want then put the extras in the freezer for later in the week.

One minor disappointment was that a lot of the cooked muffin stuck to the paper case. I'm going to try adding an extra tablespoon of vegetable oil next time and see if that helps.

Pumpkin and Sultana Muffins

Coles magazine, Winter issue. 2009

1 3/4 cups self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 cup sultanas

1 cup cooked, mashed pumpkin

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Line a 12-hole muffin pan with paper patty cases.

2.Combine flour, baking powder and sugar in a large bowl. In a separate bowl or jug, whisk together milk, egg and oil. Add to flour with sultanas and pumpkin. Mix together, until just combined.

3. Fill prepared cases. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until cooked when tested with a skewer. Cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.