Walnut Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins

 There is just something about fall that makes we want to be in the kitchen and bake away, even though it's still hot outside.  I think, maybe, if I keep baking it will tell the weather out there to just "cool it"!  But anyway, for brunch last Sunday, I used Trader Joe's Pumpkin Bread and Muffin Mix as a base and gave it a holiday twist by adding walnuts and orange cranberries and served it with orange butter.  Yup, that's right, orange butter!  This holiday muffin is sweet, citrusy and has a slight crunch. 

What you'll need:

 

For the Muffins: Makes about 16

1 pkg of Trader Joe's Pumpkin Bread and Muffin Mix

1/2 cup of apple sauce instead of oil (healthier but still keeps the muffins moist)

1/2 cup of Trader Joe's dried orange cranberries

1/2 cup of roughly chopped walnuts

1 cup of water

2 large eggs

Festive Muffin Paper Cups

For the Orange Butter:

2 tbsp of butter

1 tbsp of orange zest

**Before you begin, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F**

Step 1:

Always crack open your eggs in a separate bowl before putting them into the mix.  You never know when you'll find a Veruca (a bad egg)! 

Step 2:

In a medium size bowl, combine the pumpkin mix, water, apple sauce and eggs until smooth.

Step 3:

Toss in the walnuts and cranberries and mix until evenly incorporated.

Step 4:

 

An ice cream scooper is a perfect tool to evenly distribute the batter into the muffin tins lined with paper cups. 

Step 5:

Pop them into the oven for about 18-20 mins.  With your adorable cake tester, poke the muffins and make sure it comes out clean.  If not, cook the muffins for another couple of minutes.

Step 6:

While the muffins slightly cool, zest an orange and mix it together with the butter.  Spread this over your warm muffins and enjoy!