Pumpkin Spice Muffins with Lavender Caramel Sauce

Spice up your Thanksgiving with these delicious muffins!
Adapted from Lilyeats.com

Pumpkin Spice Muffins With Lavender Caramel Sauce
Makes 12 medium-muffins

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

 
Ingredients for Lavender Caramel Sauce

• 1 tsp dried lavender buds (culinary grade)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, cut up into chunks
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

 
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 o F in order to cook muffins later.  As the oven is preheating, start cooking the lavender caramel sauce.  
2.  Heat the heavy cream for the lavender caramel sauce in a small saucepan on low heat.  When the cream starts to have little bubbles around the edges, add the lavender and sea salt and remove from heat.  Cover and let sit for an hour.
3. As you let the lavender/cream/salt mixture sit for an hour,  start on the pumpkin muffins.
4.  Mix the first 9 ingredients for the pumpkin muffin recipe  in a large bowl.
5.  Mix the eggs, applesauce, and pumpkin in another bowl.  Add this mixture to the dry ingredients bowl and mix until just completely moistened.
6.  Grease muffin pan or place muffin cups in tin.  Add batter to muffin pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, checking towards the end with a toothpick for doneness.
7.  As the muffins cool, return to cooking the lavender caramel sauce recipe.
8.  After the hour of letting the lavender/cream/salt mixture sit, strain the lavender buds out of the cream into a cup.  Set cup aside.
9.  In another large saucepan, mix the 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water and heat to medium high heat.  Keep a vigilant eye as the mixture boils.  Once the mixture starts turning yellow, begin swirling the saucepan on the eye until the mixture turns a distinct caramel color.
10.  Once the mixture is a distinct caramel color, remove from heat and carefully add butter.  Stir until the butter is melted.
11. Once butter is melted, add lavender/salt/cream mixture from the cup and stir until incorporated.  The sauce should be a thick, but pourable consistency.
12.  Drizzle (or pour!) lavender caramel sauce over pumpkin muffins.  Store remaining caramel in an airtight container and refrigerate.

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