Harvest Sourdough Spice Muffins
Something about Autumn feels like home to me.
I don’t know if it’s the chill in the air that starts to the linger just a bit longer each day, the hearty in season vegetables and fruit, or the fact that everything always seems better with a hot cup of coffee by the fire while you’re tucked under a blanket reading your favorite new book.
Recently I vowed to start cooking and baking with in season vegetables because it’s better for our bodies if we eat alongside whatever season we may be physically living in (Summer, Autumn, Winter, or Spring). That’s why carrots, apples, pumpkin, and cranberries make an appearance in these muffins.
If you’re looking for a muffin recipe that entails all of what Autumn is and all that it will become-this is the recipe for you. These muffins are the perfect combo for breakfast or a take along snack. When we are out and about for our homeschool adventures, I’ll pack lunchboxes and love to throw in a sourdough muffin just for an extra little treat for my children.
I love the added sourdough feature to these muffins as well. It honestly adds just a touch of something I feel that these muffins need. So now that I’m saying this you will need an active sourdough starter to make this recipe, if you don’t have one you can check out my sourdough starter 101 guide to get you started.
So take a seat. Grab your coffee and let’s settle in while we discuss these muffins!
Ingredients:
Flour: I like to use organic all purpose flour for all my recipes. I always opt for the Costco brand of organic flour, but if I run out I usually grab King Arthur as an excellent substitute.
Baking Soda
Baking Powder
Salt: Redmond’s Real Salt is the brand we have been using and LOVE for every single thing in our household. I would recommend this brand to anyone and would encourage you to check them out yourself.
Organic Ground Cinnamon: This is another bulk Costco purchase as a big jar of this organic cinnamon will last me a few months. In our household we use cinnamon in coffee, on yogurt, in sourdough breakfast bread, so having this big jar really comes in handy for all of those things.
Organic Pumpkin Pie Spice: Watkin’s makes an excellent organic pumpkin pie spice that I’ve been using this year.
Avocado Oil or Coconut Oil
Organic Eggs: I use organic and/or local farm eggs. If I’m buying from the store I opt for an organic pasture raised egg. I’ve cracked both a local farm egg and an organic pasture raised egg at the same time to check the yolks and both are extremely similar in the color.
Organic Cane Sugar
Organic Brown Sugar
Organic Canned Pumpkin Puree: You want to use canned pumpkin puree for this recipe. I think it would be amazing to use fresh pumpkin but I haven’t gotten the opportunity to try that one yet.
Sourdough Starter: You can use active or discard starter in this recipe. Either will work perfectly fine and should not alter the texture of the muffins. You will need an active starter to make this recipe as well, if you don’t have one you can check out my sourdough starter 101 guide to get you started.
Granny Smith Apple: One large Granny Smith Apple should do the trick for this recipe. I got a big basket of these apples from our local farm market a week ago and really need to go back and get more this week. If you have any local orchards close to you, go on and use one of those apple’s no matter what it is. Local produce is always what I opt for when I can get it.
Carrot
Milk
Vanilla Extract
Chopped Pecans: Feel free to substitute walnuts or almonds for this recipe. I opted to use pecans because I had one of my children claim they didn’t like walnuts or almonds when I was making this.
Dried Cranberries: You could substitute raisins in place of cranberries. Either will work beautifully.
**Just a note-if you do not have access to organic ingredients PLEASE use whatever you do have. I just always try to use & eat organic in our household so I would recommend the same to others whenever possible.**
How To Make Harvest Sourdough Spice Muffins:
Preheat the oven to 425 F and line your muffin tin with your liners. I love using the unbleached liners from If You Care.
Peel and grate your large apple and large carrot. Set to the side.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the oil, eggs, cane sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, sourdough starter, shredded apple, shredded carrot, and milk together until combined.
To the wet ingredients add the dry ingredients along with the pecans and dried cranberries.
Mix until combined.
Use a cookie scoop or a tablespoon to add your batter to the muffin liners. You want them about 3/4 of the way filled up.
Place in oven for about 5 minutes. Once timer goes off reduce your oven temperature down to 350F. Do not open your oven! Set timer for about 12 minutes.
Once timer goes off, double check that your muffins are completely baked through and carefully remove from the oven.
Let muffins sit for about 5 minutes in the muffin tin and then place on wire rack to cool completely.
These will last about 4 days in a sealed container at room temperature or 8 days in the refrigerator.
Makes about 16 muffins.
I know these muffins have a lot in them, but trust me when I tell you that every single ingredient is there for a reason. These muffins truly represent Autumn harvest time and all that it brings with it. These would make the absolute best treat to take along to a football tailgate party, a cozy bonfire get together, or even gift to a friend if these muffins last that long in your house.
So there you have it-Harvest Sourdough Spice Muffins. The Autumn muffin of the century, well maybe not the century, but definitely the one that will make you want to make it again and again this season.
If you make this I would love to hear what you thought! Tag me on social media or send me a message about what you thought about these Harvest Sourdough Spice Muffins.
Harvest Sourdough Spice Muffins
Ingredients
- 200g all-purpose organic flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 78g sourdough starter
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 94 g avocado oil or melted coconut oil
- 2 large eggs
- 75 g cane sugar
- 75 g packed light or dark brown sugar
- 140 g canned pumpkin puree
- 118 g peeled and shredded apple (1 large Granny Smith apple)
- 100 g peeled and shredded carrot (1large carrot)
- 20 g milk
- 16 g vanilla extract
- 75 g chopped pecans
- 40 g dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 F and line your muffin tin with your liners. I love using the unbleached liners from If You Care.
- Peel and grate your large apple and large carrot. Set to the side.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the oil, eggs, cane sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, sourdough starter, shredded apple, shredded carrot, and milk together until combined.
- To the wet ingredients add the dry ingredients along with the pecans and dried cranberries.
- Mix until combined.
- Use a cookie scoop or a tablespoon to add your batter to the muffin liners. You want them about 3/4 of the way filled up.
- Place in oven for about 5 minutes. Once timer goes off reduce your oven temperature down to 350F. Do not open your oven! Set timer for about 12 minutes.
- Once timer goes off, double check that your muffins are completely baked through and carefully remove from the oven.
- Let muffins sit for about 5 minutes in the muffin tin and then place on wire rack to cool completely.
- These will last about 4 days in a sealed container at room temperature or 8 days in the refrigerator.
- Makes about 16 muffins.