Inspiration: Did you know that pumpkins are a good source of potassium? This tidbit is excellent news for people like me who love and loathe bananas in equal measure.

In any case, thanks to fall and spooky season, cooking magazines have all kinds of pumpkin based bakes around this time of year. The recipe that caught my eye this year was Cook’s Illustrated Pumpkin Spice Muffins, and, like most quickbreads, is relatively easy to make, even with the addition of a streusel topping.

Now, I say relatively easy because according to my grandmother (and everyone else) who first taught me how to make them, you’re only supposed to mix the batter enough to ensure everything is incorporated.

No more, no less. An instruction I’ve struggled with ever since.

However, a page and a half later, I read an interesting instruction for a different set of muffins in the Fall Harvest Recipe magazine that I thought would apply equally well to the pumpkin muffins. So, after mixing all the ingredients, I let the batter sit on my kitchen counter for thirty minutes prior to portioning it out in the paper-lined muffin tin.

For nut-based flour (which formed the base of the other bake), this interval allows the flour to absorb the moisture and create a bit of gluten, giving the end result a better structure. I’ve no idea if this same principle applies to AP flour, but ever since enacting this bit of info, my quickbread bakes have improved significantly!

Christie: Honestly, I can imagine Miss Marple or Tuppence baking these beauties for friends, family, and for themselves! As they are tasty without being overly sweet.