Former Middle and Upper School Science Teacher Kate Strangfeld runs a popular food blog, Kate Cooks, centered around “seasonal, practical, & balanced recipes that have a bit of flare,” according to her website. In a four-part series, Dateline staff reviewed four of her fall recipes. This article evaluates Strangfeld’s Healthy-ish Pumpkin Chai Muffins.
This recipe is the first thing that catches the eye on Kate Cooks’ website. Just like all of the other recipes featured on her blog and Instagram, @kate_cooks_, the photography is stunning. The natural orange coloring of the muffins creates the perfect fall feeling. The pictures of both the whole and crumpled up muffins perfectly demonstrate their crumbly nature The chai spices in the picture demonstrate that it’s an innovative addition to a fall classic: pumpkin bread. I was curious to see if these muffins could match my all-time favorite pumpkin bread from Trader Joe’s.
The Recipe
The recipe is estimated to take 30 minutes and makes nine servings. The time is very manageable but the number of servings is odd since most muffin recipes make a dozen.
Furthermore, for those that are health-conscious, this recipe contains clean ingredients. In addition, all of the ingredients are accessible, and I already had them all at home. However, some ingredients were wasteful. For example, less than half of the pumpkin can was used.
Lastly, the recipe was written in seven easy-to-follow steps which made the baking experience effortless making it accessible to everyone, regardless of their baking expertise.
The Final Product
The batter is delicious and almost better than the baked muffins as it has a subtle spiced pumpkin flavor and a silky consistency.
However, even though the recipe says that it makes nine muffins, I had enough batter to make over a dozen huge muffins. They are the perfect portion for a snack or breakfast.
The muffins are a natural orange with black specs and a crinkle. All of these elements result in a fall feeling.
The muffins are very balanced and slightly savory. They have a perfect level of sweetness for my taste. They would not be sweet enough for most people, but, since Kate Cooks’s target audience is health-conscious people, it hits the spot. The subtle but present pumpkin taste, along with the chai after taste, combine for a cozy feel.
The muffins’ texture is similar to cornbread as it’s crumbly and moist. They can be stored in an airtight container for up to five days so are convenient for those who meal prep. However, they can become a bit oily if left out for longer.
I will be making these again every fall as they are a great, more balanced alternative to Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Bread.
Stay tuned for more of Kate Cooks fall recipes reviews. In the meantime, bake these muffins to enjoy a bite of fall!
By Zoe Hällström
