Muffins Are More Than Just Ugly Cupcakes

The was:

The is:

What happened:
Yay Autumn!  I'm so excited about it being Fall that I don't even care that it's like 89 degrees outside.  I am celebrating the season by enjoying 'autumn' flavors, including pumpkin.  I actually got the inspiration for this treat from my friend, Sarah.  She always makes magnificent dishes and luckily for me, she has been in a pumpkin mood for the last couple of months.  She posted the recipe for these pumpkin muffins on her blog a while back and I thought they looked delicious, but when I got to sample one on our visit to Asheville, I was sold - I knew I would have to try to bake this muffin for myself.  I used all the ingredients from the Cooking Light website recipe, but I followed Sarah's lead and switched the oil for applesauce...  it was a chunky cinnamon applesauce instead of plain, but it was all I had in the fridge.  I also added an extra dash of ground ginger and a little sprinkle of allspice because I didn't have any straight-up nutmeg or ground cloves.  I ended up making 12 regular muffins and 24 mini-muffins.

They. Were. AMAZING!  They were super light and fluffy and very moist.  Absolutely delicious.  They also made the house smell soooo good.  Jonathan, a self-proclaimed hater of all things pumpkin, ate three of them.  The only thing I regret is not putting more sugar/brown sugar sprinkled on top...  but that's a minor detail that can be remedied with the next batch.

These muffins were pumpkin-y and delicious, but they were also a little bittersweet for me.  Not in the actual taste department (they're actually pretty sweet), but in the memories they bring forth of my very best friend, Amber.  She loves all things pumpkin, and every time I see anything pumpkin-flavored, I always think of her.  I don't get to see her very often these days because we both have busy schedules and we live far apart, but I think of her frequently and I miss her oh so much.  She would have especially approved of my mini-muffin cups:  they had pumpkins on them!  What could be a more perfect accessory for the already-perfect Pumpkin Muffin?