Muffin Matters
They aren’t quite as famous as Moravian sugar cake or Moravian cookies, but the pumpkin muffins served at such places as Salem Tavern and Zevely House for many years have legions of fans.
When I first got married, my father-in-law would regularly ask me to bring in a dozen when my wife and I came to visit.
A reader recently wrote to ask for the recipe, this being fall, the time when visions of pumpkins dance in our heads.
Try Salem Tavern’s recipe below for a real taste of fall and of Winston-Salem.
Salem Tavern Pumpkin Muffins
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup softened butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup milk
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. In a large bowl mix together flour, baking powder, salt and spices. Add raisins, and toss to coat.
3, In another bowl, cream butter with sugar. Add molasses and mix until smooth. Add milk, eggs and pumpkin and blend thoroughly. Stir in dry ingredients and blend until all ingredients are mixed together.
3. Coat muffin pans with cooking spray. Fill pans full with muffin mix. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes.
Makes 12 to 15 large muffins. (Salem Tavern uses smaller muffin tins, which are harder to find. If using the smaller muffin tins, this recipe will make about 24 muffins, and the baking time will decrease to 12 to 15 minutes.)
