You guys, I think I’ve officially pumpkin’d (my made-up term haha!), butternut squash’d, and spaghetti squash’d myself out…until next Fall at least! :p The pumpkin part is no surprise as I’ve posted pumpkin recipe after pumpkin recipe in the last few weeks, but behind the scenes I’ve been putting away (more than) my fair share of other squash too (butternut, spaghetti, you-name-it!). I’ve found some really good recipes (Check out this chicken enchilada stuffed spaghetti squash. It is amazing!), but unfortunately none of those recipes made it to the blog – thank you very much daylight savings time. Maybe next year. I don’t think I could eat another bite of squash right now…unless of course it’s in a muffin and then you could probably twist my arm. Okay, okay, so you wouldn’t have to twist very hard ;).
My family came to visit a couple weekends ago and I whipped up these muffins for breakfast. They taste similar to a pumpkin muffin and in a blind taste test I’d probably guess they were pumpkin but the butternut squash has a slightly different flavor. If you know it’s butternut squash at least =). The muffins are moist, light and fluffy. The spices complement the flavor of the squash without being overpowering. They’re definitely more along the lines of a dessert muffins and they were a hit all around. If you’re like me and completely burned out on pumpkin and squash, these muffins are the perfect way to use up that last remaining leftover roasted squash sitting in the fridge. Don’t let it go to waste! You’ll enjoy these muffins. I promise!
Butternut Squash Muffins
1 cup butternut squash purée*
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 18 muffins cups with nonstick spray (or line with paper liners).
2. In a large bowl, mix together the butternut squash puree, eggs, oil, water and sugars until thoroughly combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
3. Stir the dry ingredients into the butternut squash mixture. Combine just until incorporated; do not over mix. Pour into the prepared pan.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 17-19 minutes. Makes 18 muffins.
Notes:
1. You can bake this in a loaf pan instead of muffins. Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out with only a few moist crumbs.
2. To make butternut squash puree, slice raw butternut squash in half and scrape out the seeds/pulp. Drizzle very lightly with oil and sprinkle lightly with salt. Place on greased baking sheet, skin side up and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until flesh is soft and scoops easily away from the skin. Scoop flesh away from skin and puree in food processor or blender.
3. I have found frozen butternut squash puree in the freezer section in my grocery store if you’re looking for a short-cut or you could even use pumpkin puree.
*adapted from My Baking Addiction
Nutritional Info (per muffin): 177 calories; 6.9 g fat; 27.5 g carbohydrates; 0.5 g fiber; 2.2 g protein.
