Pumpkin spice muffins and simple cake balls

My first prop picture!

   I usually don't make more than one thing a week unless I am making things for someone, so this week is not normal.  I made those cookies earlier in the week and today I made these muffins.  The reason being it was a pumpkin muffin and I think pumpkins need to be baked with before Halloween.  I said that to a co worker and she said it would not matter.  But it does to me, so two things this week for my friends at work.

  On my favorite message board Two Peas in a BucketI asked about some food ideas people had found on line and really liked.  Something simple.  What I shared was someone mentioning on face book how they loved frozen green grapes.  And I tried them and really liked them too.  I did not get many responses,but the one I got was great.  The girl said she made muffins with a cake mix and canned pumpkin. 

  Genius I thought.  I mean I love box mixes and I have never made anything with pumpkin before.  I was not sure though if it would be something I would want to make, it just didn't seem homemade.  ( says the girl who loves boxed cake mix)  But I have to measure water, oil and crack eggs with a cake mix at least.  But then, another girl said she added an egg to help bind the mix and add some protein.  That was it, I was sold.  Cracking an egg makes it totally home made.  So I decided to try these out and they were so fast to make, taste really great and they are totally "home made"



The three ingredients.  The egg makes it totally home made.

   So here you go.

Super easy pumpkin spice muffins.

1 box spice cake mix
1 14 oz can of pumpkin *
1 egg

Pre heat your oven to 350 **
Mix all three ingredients until fully incorporated and place into prepared muffin pan***
Bake for about 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean

My first action shot, using a large ice cream scoop to get even sized muffins.

  *I could not find a 14 oz can of pumpkin, so I had to measure out 1 3/4 cups of it, and I bet it was closer to 2 cups.  But it was still all good.
**I have a convection oven and find 25 degrees cooler works well for my oven, so if you have a regular oven use 375.
***by prepared I mean cupcake liners, you could do it without but the muffins were so moist it was just easier this way.

  I really enjoyed how moist and yummy these were.  I think if I was to make them again I would make a cream cheese icing or glaze to make it more desert like.  I like muffins but try to stay away as I should not have too many carbs.  But a cupcake, that is okay.  I know it makes no sense, so don't even try to figure my logic out.  Hope you enjoy.
 

And now I want to quickly share with you some simple cake balls I made last week.  I didn't think it was enough information for a whole post.  So here it is. 



I made some simple chocolate cake balls and dipped them in melted candy coating and placed them on wax paper to dry.




I did not need them fancy so I just used some more melted candy melts and some itty bitty leaf sprinkles to decorate.  Let the dipped cake balls dry, drizzle on the melted candy coating and sprinkle on the leaves before the candy hardens.




I always have extra candy on the sides, so to get them in a nice shape I sort of tap them around the edges to get the extra candy to snap off.




And here they are all packed up to go. I put a layer of parchment on the bottom as I find they tend to leak a little oil and that is just the icing and stuff heating up.  So they are not oily, just a little moist.  So yummy.