I threaten to bake with pumpkin, and fall comes.

I'm often told that I can't start in on my annual pumpkin worshipping until October 1st each year, because any earlier than that and I'm just being a pumpkin-obsessed freak. This summer was especially hot and rainless, and I have been having a hard time coping with the sunshine. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy sunshine, but the amount and persistency of the sunshine this summer was becoming offensive. Watering my garden twice a day was also annoying and I was tired of Mother Nature being a complete slacker and making my water bill go up.

So I threatened to cook something pumpkin related, to usher in the coming of fall. And wouldn't you know it, I bought some pumpkin seeds from the bulk bins at Bloomingfoods, and we've had a week of cloudiness and "Ithacating."

Ithacating: (v) To spit rain to the extent that the precipitation causes a general mistiness in the air, but the tiniest of drops are seen and felt. Common in Ithaca, New York. Not enough to merit an umbrella, but enough to have some kind of jacket. This term was introduced to me by one Alex Gates.

I like this weather. I don't care if you sunshine lovers dislike it--the dreariness does my soul good.

These were the muffins that brought about the week of Ithacating. From Baked, of course. I used applewood smoked cheddar (the authors recommend trying an aged raw milk cheddar--I do too!) and it gave the muffins a delightful smokiness that was superb. 

Pumpkin Cheddar Muffins

adapted from Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented

* for organic

** for local

1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin puree *

3 tablespoons sour cream (light sour cream works here!)

2 large eggs * **

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 1/4 cups (about 4 ounces) grated sharp cheddar cheese

Pumpkin seeds for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly spray each cup of a standard 12 cup muffin pan with a little bit of vegetable spray. Make sure you get the sides of the cups.

In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin and sour cream. Add thee eggs and butter and whisk until combined. It is going to look bright orange and pretty, and you're going to want to taste it.  Don't, it's gross at this point.

In another large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cayenne, salt, black pepper and brown sugar. Make sure you have backup pre-ground pepper in case, like me, you get 1/2 teaspoon ground and you're like WTF, I need another whole teaspoon? Fuck that, where's my pre-ground pepper!?

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Fold until just combined. It's going to be thick, but just make sure you get all of the dry incorporated, and fold in about 3/4 of the cheese.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Use your hands, cause using a spoon like a lady at this point is just foolish. Sprinkle the rest of the cheddar evenly on the tops of the muffin dough, and sprinkle some pumpkin seeds on there too, while you're at it. Any leftover pumpkin seeds you have would be awesome in some granola! 

Bake these little savory gems for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown. 20 minutes was perfect for me--let them cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before serving--serve these babies warm with some buttah. They taste best fresh out of the oven, but you can nuke them in the microwave or, even better, rewarm them in a 200 degree oven.

Suck it, Summer. FALL I AM IN YOU.