Healthy treats like pumpkin cupcakes are not only a hit during Halloween, but you will definitely get some special requests from health conscious individuals throughout the year. These treats are difficult to find when it’s not their season, so learn how to make pumpkin cupcakes on your own. Pumpkin cupcakes are softer and sweeter than their muffin counterparts. In addition, dried fruits, nuts or chocolate chips can be added for variation. Follow these steps to serve your loved ones:

1. Go through the list of ingredients and gather them: two cups flour, one teaspoon baking soda, one teaspoon baking powder, one teaspoon salt, one teaspoon cinnamon, one teaspoon ginger, one-fourth teaspoon nutmeg, one-fourth teaspoon allspice, one cup brown sugar, packed, one cup white sugar, one cup of melted butter, four beaten eggs and 15 ounces pumpkin puree. This is good for 18 cupcakes. If you need more, you can add more puree and the rest of the ingredients following the same measurement proportions.

2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a cupcake pan or line them with paper liners. Mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice. In a different bowl, mix brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter and eggs. It is better that the oven is pre-heated for about 30 minutes before baking. Use an alarm clock after turning the oven on to keep track of time.

3. Combine both mixes and whisk until the batter is smooth. Stir in the pumpkin puree and mix well. Scoop the batter into the cupcake pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cupcake center comes out clean. Cool completely before icing or serving. This will prevent the frosting from melting. The surface of the cupcakes will also be smoother as it gets cooler, which is more appropriate for any decorating techniques.

4. If you want toppings, dust the cupcakes with confectioner’s sugar or frost them with vanilla, cream cheese, butter cream and lemon icing. Choices of fresh and dried fruits will also add variety to healthy pumpkin cupcakes. Children will be attracted to sweet toppings like bits and pieces of chocolates, candies and cookies. Oreos and M & M’s are good examples of the type of cookies and chocolates you can use to decorate the cupcakes.

5. Go for homemade puree to get most of the nutrients. Cut a pumpkin into two-inch cubes. Remove all the seeds and pulp from the flesh. Peel them off as well. Boil these cubes in a large pot until they soften. Put the softened cubes in a food processor and blend them until they have the puree consistency. Strain the water out of the puree if it is too thin. Using fresh pumpkin to make a pumpkin puree will take longer, but the cupcakes will have a fresher and more vibrant taste.

Learning how to make pumpkin cupcakes from freshly cut pumpkin takes additional effort, but the puree will be more nutritious and tasty. You can freeze the puree to use in recipes later if you cannot cook them all in one setting. The nutritional value and goodness will remain, but the vivacity of the taste will lessen. Nevertheless, they are still a lot better than ready-made pumpkin purees in terms of nutrition. Go for it, if you can spare enough time in the kitchen.