These muffins wrap you up in autumn and don't let you go until you're wearing a chunky knit sweater and pinning Christmas crafts on Pinterest. This month's FoodiePages CHEF'S BOX Challenge is apples. We grow gorgeous apples here in British Columbia and I love to highlight their sweet flavour with a little spice. The combination of sweet apples and warm cinnamon is quintessentially autumn.

Ingredients

2 cups pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

4 eggs

zest of one lemon

2-inch knob fresh ginger, peeled and grated on microplane rasp grater

3 apples, peeled and diced (I used BC-grown Royal Gala)

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F. Line two muffin pans with paper liners.

In large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, oil, sugars, eggs, lemon zest, and ginger until combined. Stir in apples and set aside.

In separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.

Gently stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix just until evenly moistened.

Spoon into prepared muffin pans and bake for 30 - 35 minutes until toothpick inserted into muffins comes out clean.

Makes 24 muffins.