Whole Wheat Pumpkin Spice Date Muffins

I can't predict how long this muffin craze of mine will last but until it fades, I'm totally loving it. My pantry is now stocked with all sorts of dried fruits, nuts and seeds and my fridge is full of buttermilk, just to ensure that each batch of muffin is different. Since my craze started a couple weeks ago, my oven's been churning out about a dozen muffins a week and miraculously they all disappear by week's end and then I'm back at it, making another dozen.

Because I want each batch of muffins to be different, I've been creating different recipes each week and sometimes it takes a couple of tries to make them just right. For some reason, the pumpkin muffins were a little trickier for me to perfect. The first batch wasn't sweet enough or as light and fluffy as I wanted them to be. It took the addition of more buttermilk and maple syrup to make them just the way I wanted - sort of crispy on the outside and very soft and light on the inside with a great texture, courtesy of the millet and chia seeds that I added just before baking.

Since I don't expect my muffin obsession to end anytime soon, you can be on the lookout for more to come. Until then, I hope you give this one a try. It's a balanced combination of hearty and sweet and the texture is what really makes them; chewy from the dried fruit, and moist from the pumpkin and buttermilk. The flavors are bright with an extra bite of sharpness from the candied ginger bits. In addition, these little babies are so cheerful with their orangy hues and sunny millet seeds poking out, they make for a great start to the day.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Spice Date Muffins
Makes 12

- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup flour
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- A pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup millet
- 1 TBS cinnamon
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 can unsweetened pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
-  1 egg
- 2 TBS minced crystallized ginger
- 1/4 cup chopped dates
- 2 TBS Chia Seeds

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine the dry ingredients (flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, millet and cinnamon) into one bowl. Add the dates, chia seeds, and crystallized ginger to the dry ingredients and give them a good toss until everything is distributed evenly. In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients (pumpkin puree, buttermilk, maple syrup, egg) and lightly whisk to combine. Fold the wet ingredients in with the dry and bled until it just comes together (don't overmix -you'll end up with hockey puck shaped muffins!) Spoon batter into muffin tins and bake until a toothpick that is inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean (about 15 minutes or so). Store in an airtight container.