Best Pumpkin Muffins. Ever.

Oh fall. Sweaters. Scarves. Boots. Leggings. Perfectly aged leaves. The scent of pumpkin & spices fills the entire house. Then walk outside to be greeted by the cool, crisp breeze. Oh wait, scratch that part.  It's 90 degrees!  In OCTOBER!  While fall may not be in the air, it is certainly all over my home.  I ache for the day that I can (comfortably) bust out the boots, but until then I'll stick to soaking up fall through food & decorations :)

I've always been a huge proponent of Trader Joe's pumpkin bread/muffin mix, but I thought I would branch out and try something new...something different...homemade pumpkin muffins!  Good decision. They are so perfectly moist, loaded with spices, and just the right amount of pumpkin flavor.  I think the secret kick is the molasses...mmmhmmm.  Sorry TJ's, you can cancel that extra order of pumpkin mixes, I won't be raiding your shelves any more this year!

{Pumpkin Spice Muffins}
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup pureed pumpkin (Fresh or from a can; do not use pumpkin pie mix**see below for that story!)
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons molasses

Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a twelve-muffin tin.

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices. In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, soy milk, oil, and molasses. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix.

Fill the muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick or knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Enjoy!  I originally heard about this amazing recipe from Isa's blog - thank you so much Isa!

**SIDE NOTE: I accidentally bought the can of Pumpkin Pie Mix (shows how often I make pumpkin anything from scratch!).  Soooo I ended up going back to the store to buy pureed pumpkin, AND I made my first ever pumpkin pie with the can of Pumpkin Pie Mix!  Double whammy...2 firsts in one day!