Pumpkin Marble Muffins

I can't believe how badly time has gotten away from me this summer!  I love summer because it usually means more time with my family doing fun things in warm weather, but it doesn't really help me stay focused and timely very well.  Isn't that what life is supposed to be about though?   Making memories that count instead of always worrying that the day-to-day stuff is taken care of.  I remember someone telling me once that when I was going to make a big decision to always check for whether it would be important 5 years in the future.  I look at the time I spend with my family as a big decision. I think that if my dishes don't get done because I was taking extra time at the dinner table laughing and talking or if I get behind in my blog because I enjoyed conversations and crafts with my girls - then 5 years from now what I didn't do won't be remembered but the time we spent together will.  At least that's what I hope for.

That being said - it is turning into fall, whether I like it or not and my schedule is changing.  So with a more "set" daily routine and crisp morning air I decided to stray from my Alton Brown following for a day to try a simple pumpkin recipe I found on Pinterest.  At least the beginnings of it were from there but I changed it a little.  I saw someone had taken a cake mix and added pumpkin puree only and it made muffins.  I was intrigued how you could do that without eggs so I wanted to try it.  I was skeptical, right through until I put them into the oven actually.  I wanted so bad to throw it all back into the bowl and whip in a couple eggs, but I didn't and it really worked!  I decided to use a marble cake mix because I think chocolate and pumpkin go very well together and I was right.  I added the chocolate chips on top too for the same reason. 

the batter is very thick

the liners can be filled pretty much to full, not a lot of rising without the eggs

 

After having worked through the muffin method with Mr. Brown, these definitely were muffins and not cupcakes.  The texture was much coarser (is that a word?) and they were a bit chewy, but they were delicious!  Using a boxed cake mix is not part of my baking journey plan, however it was so easy and made for quick fall kickoff treat.  I tried putting cinnamon & sugar on the top of one of them instead of the chocolate chips and it was even better I thought.  I know because I ate it myself so fast I forgot to take a picture :)