Fall - the season of all things good - has arrived!

it has. cold nights, warm days, cool breezes. sweaters, boots. shawls. indian holidays. family birthdays. the state fair.

and pumpkins.

i've been a pumpkin fiend lately. i go through cans (yes, multiple) in a week, either from baking or oatmeal or just straight eating it plain. and its soooo good. i think the pumpkin, coupled with the pounds (literally) of carrots i eat a week are helping maintain my summer tan. here's to hoping i don't actually look like an oompa loompa. my friends would tell me if i did, right?

speaking of friends...

my bestie ray turned 25 this week. we went out to the miguel concert (holyhotmoly) and then somehow managed to go out dancing until 3, followed by a trip to cook-out. haven't done that in a MINUTE. i am still catching up on sleep.

today, we also held a little surprise dinner for her. with the changing of the season, i decided to turn to my trusty 2-ingredient pumpkin muffins that are always fast and easy. instead of just two ingredients though, i kicked it up a notch. i tried this new combo a few weeks ago for another birthday exchange, and when my sister and her roommates ate the leftovers they went bizzurk. "ohhmyyygaaawwwhh these are so good! i dont know what it is! they're better than ever!"

maybe they were all just menstruating or something...

lady issues or not, these are actually that good. so i replicated for ray's bithday and am pleased to say its still damn mouthwatering. i call them muffins even though i'd say the consistency is between a cupcake and a muffin (muffcake?) mixins include coconut and white chocolate, topped with some sprinkles for birthday flair. the secret though? i think this tastes better than usual, truly, because i ditched the spice cake mix and replaced it with yellow cake - then added in pumpkin pie spice and extra cinnamon. that gave it a more legit pumpkin pie flavor.

here it is - go make it NOW!

pumpkin pie muffins with coconut and white chocolate (makes almost 48 minis)

1 box classic yellow cake mix
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 15-oz can pumpkin puree
1 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup shredded coconut
sprinkles (optional)

1. combine the cake mix, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon in a large bowl. you can either sift them, or just use a wire whisk to combine. 
2. mix in all the pumpkin. a few dry spots of cake mix are probably fine, but you'll want to smush the big pieces up against the side the bowl to mix things as evenly as possible. 
3. add the white chocolate chips and coconut, and stir until just combined.
4. fill a paper-lined mini-muffin tin with the batter, close to the top if you'd like your muffcakes to puff up nicely - i found this easiest to do with a tablespoon cookie scoop. you'll need two 24-count tins, or you can work in batches.
5. top with sprinkles, then bake at 350F for 15 minutes. remove from oven and let cool in pan for 2 minutes before transferring individual muffcakes to a wire cooling rack. 
6. treat thyself and enjoy! as with most veggie breads, these are even better on day 2. 

of course ray loved these too. as told by these vintage hipster pics (surprisingly, not taken via instagram)!