Mini Pumpkin Muffins for Lunchboxes: Bake Once, Freeze, Pack All Month

These mini pumpkin muffins are soft, lightly spiced and two-bite size, which makes them just right for small lunchbox compartments. One batch makes about 36. Bake them on Sunday, freeze most of them, and pack one or two straight from the freezer each morning: they thaw by lunchtime and help keep the rest of the lunch cool on the way.

Makes: about 36 mini muffins Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 12 to 15 minutes per tray Kid-friendly: very. Kids 3 and up can stir and fill liners; mild spice, soft texture Allergens: gluten (flour), eggs, dairy (milk). Nut-free as written, so they suit school lunchboxes. Swaps below.

Ingredients

• 1¾ cups (220 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon fine salt
• 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup (225 g) canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• ¾ cup (150 g) packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup (120 ml) neutral oil, such as canola or sunflower
• ¼ cup (60 ml) milk
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
• ⅓ cup (60 g) mini chocolate chips, optional

You will also need a 24-cup mini muffin tin (you will bake in two batches) and mini paper liners or cooking spray.

Steps

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line the mini muffin tin with paper liners, or grease it well. This is a good job for small hands.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices. Whisking spreads the baking soda evenly, so you do not get bitter spots.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the pumpkin, brown sugar, eggs, oil, milk and vanilla until smooth. Kids can crack the eggs into a small cup first, so stray shell is easy to fish out; wash hands afterwards.
4. Tip the dry ingredients into the wet ones and stir gently with a spatula, just until no dry flour shows. Stop there: over-mixing makes muffins tough and full of tunnels. Fold in the chocolate chips, if using.
5. Fill each cup about three-quarters full. A small cookie scoop or two teaspoons makes this tidy, and kids 5 and up can do it. Do not lick the spoon: the batter has raw egg and raw flour in it.
6. Adult: bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the tops spring back when pressed lightly and a toothpick in the middle comes out clean.
7. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack. Bake the rest of the batter the same way.

Freezing and packing

Cool the muffins completely before freezing; warm muffins steam in the bag and turn soggy.

1. Spread the cooled muffins on a tray in a single layer and freeze for 1 hour, so they do not stick together.
2. Move them to a freezer bag or container, label with the date and freeze. They are best eaten within 2 to 3 months.
3. On school mornings, put one or two frozen muffins straight into the lunchbox. Mini muffins thaw in a couple of hours at room temperature, so they are soft by lunch.

Our freezer mini banana muffins use the same bake-once, pack-frozen routine, so you can make a batch of each and alternate. Muffins themselves are fine at room temperature, but the rest of the lunch may not be: if you are packing yogurt, cheese or a sandwich with meat, add an ice pack. Our guide to keeping a packed lunch cold has the details.

Allergy swaps

• Egg-free: replace the 2 eggs with 2 "flax eggs" (2 tablespoons ground flaxseed mixed with 5 tablespoons/75 ml water, left 5 minutes to thicken). The muffins will be a little denser.
• Dairy-free: use oat milk or another plant milk instead of the milk, and dairy-free chocolate chips.
• Gluten-free: use a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum, measured by weight.
• Nut-free: the recipe is nut-free as written. Check that the chocolate chips are made in a nut-free facility if your school requires it.

Lunchbox ideas to go with them

A mini muffin works as the "treat" in a lunchbox with a main, a fruit, a vegetable and something crunchy, the same pattern as our nut-free lunchbox ideas. A few combinations:

• Mini pumpkin muffins, a cheese and cracker stack, cucumber slices, and grapes cut lengthwise into quarters for under-4s.
• Mini pumpkin muffins, a turkey and cheese wrap cut into rounds, apple slices, and steamed carrot coins.
• Mini pumpkin muffins with a small pot of plain yogurt for dipping, plus banana and pretzels for older kids.

Using up the rest of the can

A 15 oz (425 g) can holds about 1¾ cups of pumpkin, so you will have about ¾ cup (200 g) left. Stir it into oatmeal, pancake batter or mac and cheese, or freeze it in a small container for the next batch of muffins. Like other opened canned vegetables, it keeps 3 to 4 days in a covered container in the fridge; move it out of the can first.

Troubleshooting

• Muffins stuck to the tin: let them cool 5 minutes before removing, and grease the tin well or use liners.
• Dense or rubbery: the batter was over-mixed. Stir only until the flour disappears.
• Sunken middles: they came out too early. Bake until the tops spring back.