The recipe
Yes, These Pumpkin Muffins Were Made for the Microwave
Pumpkin Gems are one of the more wonderfully time-capsule recipes in Our Favorites: small pumpkin muffins designed specifically for the microwave.
The batter is warmly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, includes chopped nuts, and is cooked six muffins at a time in paper cups before getting a thin vanilla glaze while warm.
Why it matters
Why This One Is Worth Bringing Back
Pumpkin Gems earn their place in the archive partly because of the recipe itself and partly because of the method. Rather than adapting them to an oven, the source directs you to microwave six muffins at a time on medium-high.
That makes them a great snapshot of the moment when microwave cooking was finding its way into community cookbooks. The paper cups, short cook time and quick glaze are all part of what makes this version distinctive.
Explore more recipes and source context in the Our Favorites archive.
Modern kitchen notes
If You're Making It Today
These are modern editorial suggestions, not changes to the archived recipe. When a variation comes directly from the original source, we will say so.
Keep the microwave method
The source specifies cooking six muffins at a time on medium-high for 3 to 5 minutes. This should not be silently converted to an oven recipe.
Use paper cups
The printed note says to use paper cups to keep the muffins' shape.
Glaze while warm
The confectioners' sugar, vanilla and milk-or-hot-water glaze is drizzled over the muffins while they are still warm.
Recipe card
The Preserved Recipe
Pumpkin Gems
Ingredients
- 1½ c. sugar
- ⅓ c. shortening
- 1 c. pumpkin
- 2 eggs
- 1⅓ c. flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- ¼ tsp. baking powder
- ¾ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. cinnamon
- ½ tsp. nutmeg
- ½ tsp. vanilla
- ½ c. chopped nuts
- ⅓ c. water
Glaze
- ½ c. confectioners sugar
- 1-2 Tbsp. milk or hot water
- ¼ tsp. vanilla
Instructions
- Beat the sugar, shortening and eggs. Stir in the pumpkin.
- Stir the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together, then add to the pumpkin mixture. Mix in the vanilla, water and nuts.
- Microwave 6 muffins at a time on medium-high for 3 to 5 minutes. Use paper cups to keep their shape.
- Stir the glaze ingredients together and drizzle over the muffins while warm.
Notes
From the archive
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