Pumpkin S’more Muffins

So the Northeast kind of got slapped in the face by the end of summer.  We were welcomed back to work on the day after Labor Day with grey skies and non-stop rain.  Well hello, real life!

Despite the unofficial end of a quick but wonderful summer, today actually wasn’t too bad.  Starting work on a Tuesday instead of Monday is always a plus and next week will be the same!  Matt and I have a weekend trip planned for just the two of us.  I like to think of it as a little belated anniversary celebration, but it also overlaps with his birthday on Monday!  It should be a fun few days.

The second thing that kept today’s mood up is that the next few weeks are going to continue to be crazy but also really great.  After this weekend, I can still look forward to the WifeStyle Conference, my 5-year reunion in Atlanta  with my best friends (!!!), the excuse to eat copious amounts of food High Holidays and  an exciting opportunity that (hopefully) has come my way.  Cross your fingers for me.

And finally, what made today even better was the smell of some amazing fall baked goods in my apartment.  Yesterday when we got home, Matt and I both spent some time in the kitchen.  He made a huge pot of turkey chili (so perfect for this dreary weather) and I had a mini baking marathon.  I know I’ve said this before, but spending time in the kitchen is the best therapy.  Over the last couple of months, I’ve been a little busier than usual and haven’t had much time to bake.  Just a few hours of quality time with my mixer reminded me of that sense of joy I get when I make something that I know will put a smile on someone’s face.

One of my favorite things about fall is pumpkin.  To be honest, I eat pumpkin all year long, but it isn’t until the fall that most people are ready to celebrate the flavor with me.  Since I love pumpkin muffins and the entire world is obsessed with s’mores, I figured I should combine the two into Pumpkin S’more Muffins.

This recipe is so easy thanks to the help of a cake mix, but if you want to make your muffin batter from scratch and have a couple of extra minutes, this is my favorite recipe.

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Pumpkin S’more Muffins

Yield: Makes 2 dozen muffins

Ingredients

• 5 or 6 graham cracker sheets
• 1 15.25 ounce box yellow cake mix
• 1 small can (15 ounces) pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup (~3) egg whites
• 1/2 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 cups mini marshmallows

Cooking Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and prepare 2 muffin tins by greasing or spraying with cooking spray
2. Break graham cracker sheets into pieces and fit them into muffin tins to act as a crust; set aside remaining graham crackers and crumbs for topping
3. Combine cake mix, pumpkin, water, egg whites and pumpkin pie spice with an electric mixer on low speed just until combined
4. Stir in chocolate chips
5. When batter is ready, fill each prepared cup with about 1/2 cup of batter
6. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean
7. Remove muffins from oven and press 4-5 marshmallows into top center of each and sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs
8. Place back in oven for 1-2 or until marshmallows have puffed
9. Remove from oven and allow to cool before removing muffins from pans

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Adapted from these brownies

What made today a good day for you?