Fall Favorite: Easy Butternut Squash Muffins

I’m a fan of everything Jamie Oliver – his shows, his cookbooks, his gadgets (love his flavor shaker!), and his whole “simple, fresh food” philosophy. Last year he filmed a show and published a cookbook that focused on the seasons (Jamie at Home), so I was happy when I stumble upon his recipe for butternut squash muffins while searching for good fall recipes.

Here’s a little-known Jamie fact: his first job out of culinary school was as the head pastry chef at a leading Italian restaurant in London. So, unlike many traditional chefs who occasionally throw together a cake or some cookies, Jamie really knows his way around sweets (he makes great Blackberry and Apple Pie and Creamy Rice Pudding).

This is truly the easiest muffin recipe possible – you throw everything into the food processor, butternut squash skin and all. It ended up making a few more than the recipe yield (bonus!), and they baked up beautiful, moist and flavorful. The tangy citrus, sour cream frosting wasn’t bad, but it was unusual. I actually preferred these unfrosted – more like muffins than cupcakes.

You can find 100 of Jamie’s best recipes on his chef page, here. And there’s also a ton of Jamie info, news and recipes from all of his cookbooks at his own Web site, www.jamieoliver.com. I cooked up Jools’s Favorite Beef Stew (Jools is Jamie’s wife) to use up the other half of my butternut squash. It’s a hearty, veggie-filled one-dish dinner, great for a fall weekend.

- Kirsten, Web Editor