Pumpkin Spice Muffins

It's October which means we are officially in the Fall season and I am very excited about it!  I have already welcomed Autumn by adding leaves, scents and warm colors into our home and you can how in my Fallin' on a Budget post.

The weather this weekend was beautiful and Orlando pleasantly surprised me with temperatures in the 60s, which got me even more into the Fall spirit.  My favorite fall food? ANYthing Pumpkin!  Really...pumpkin pancakes, coffee, bread, cookies, seeds, pies...I am all about the pumpkin and it's seasonings.

First on the list for baking this season is a recipe I found on my favorite phone app, Spark Recipes.  I was craving pumpkin all day on Saturday and decided on my way home from work I wanted to bake something, but didn't want anything too complicated.  With a simple step of typing the word "pumpkin" in the search box of my app I found this wonderful recipe.

*BONUS: There's only 3 ingredients & everything cost under $5!

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

1 box of spice cake mix
1 15 oz. can of pure pumpkin
1 cup of water

cook time: 25 minutes
servings: 24 muffins

Canned pumpkin is low in calories and fat and is considered a food full of nutrients.  It is high in vitamins and minerals and includes considerable amounts of Vitamin A, C, fiber, carbohydrates, iron and calcium.  I got this information from Livestrong.com and here you can read more about  Canned Pumpkin Nutrition.  *NOTE: Be careful not to confuse a can of pure pumpkin for a can of pumpkin pie mix.  Recipes usually call for one or the other, so be sure you pick up the right can for yours!

To make pumpkin spice muffins: open the box of Spice Cake and pour into a mixing bowl.

Add in the cup of water and mix until cake mix is smooth.

Add the pumpkin to the spice cake and water and mix until batter is smooth.

Transfer batter into a muffin tin.  I used 2 to make 24 muffins.

Bake 18-21 minutes, or as directed on the spice cake mix box.

Cool muffins for 15 minutes before taking them out of the cupcake pans & Enjoy!

I will probably experiment with different pumpkin bread and muffin recipes throughout the season, but I was drawn to this one because it was so easy.  *BONUS: It was the lowest calories per serving (or muffin) I found:

A pumpkin spice muffin for breakfast, a snack or even dessert for under 100 calories? Sign me up!

And my favorite pairing with these? Pumpkin Spice Coffee, of course.  This time of year, my favorite coffee is the Fresh Market's Pumpkin Spice - hands down.  It comes in both regular or decaf, and you don't even really need to sweeten it with cream or sugar.  Find it in stores or online: Fresh Market Seasonal Coffee.

What are some of your favorite pumpkin recipes?