Perfect Butternut Squash Muffins

Ingredients

• small butternut squash
• eggs
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• cup swhole wheat flour
• cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon sbaking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sbaking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground clove s
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 cup raisins (Optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (Optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease 20 muffin cups or line cups with paper liners.
2. Cut a ½ inch hole into the larger part of the squash and cover with a damp paper towel.
3. Cook squash in a microwave oven in 3 minute increments, turning slightly after each increment, until squash can be easily pierced with a fork, 9 to 12 minutes. Cool, about 20 minutes.
4. Halve squash lengthwise and scoop out seeds: add 1 ½ cups to a large bowl. Combine eggs, water, vegetable oil, white sugar, and brown sugar with squash. Whisk whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, cloves, and pumpkin pie spice into the squash mixture until smooth. Fold raisins and walnuts into the batter.
5. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each to ½ to ⅔ full.
6. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Cool in the tins for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.