Combatting pumpkin waste this Halloween

This Halloween, over 15 million pumpkins are estimated to be wasted after carving. This equals 95 million meals worth of good food. One of the best ways to reduce pumpkin waste is to get creative in the kitchen with pumpkin surplus. This delicious pumpkin and dark chocolate muffin recipe by Filippo Berio is a great way to use leftover Halloween pumpkin. 

Pumpkin & Dark Chocolate Muffins with Orange Mascarpone Frosting

Ingredients (makes 12)

• 240g pumpkin flesh
• 180g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 130g wholemeal flour
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of cinnamon
• 120g dark chocolate chips
• 120g soft brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 100ml natural yoghurt
• 275ml milk
• 60ml Mild and Light Olive Oil

For the frosting:

• 300g mascarpone cheese
• 120g icing sugar
• Grated zest of 1 orange
• 1 tsp orange juice

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C. Line a 12-hole deep muffin tin with paper cases.
2. Peel the pumpkin, discard the seeds and cut into even-sized pieces. Put into a pan, cover with cold water, bring to a boil and cook until tender, for approximately 20 minutes.
3. Drain the pumpkin and purée the flesh with a potato ricer or masher. Leave to cool.
4. Sift the self-raising flour with the baking powder and bicarbonate into a large bowl. Mix in the wholemeal flour, salt, cinnamon, chocolate chips and sugar.
5. In another bowl, mix together the eggs, yoghurt, milk and Filippo Berio Mild and Light Olive Oil. Stir through the pumpkin purée.
6. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together lightly, just enough to bring everything together. Be careful not to over-mix.
7. Divide the batter evenly between the 12 paper cases and cook in the pre-heated oven for 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out dry. Leave to cool on a cooling rack.
8. To make the frosting, sieve the icing sugar into the mascarpone, add the orange juice and 1/2 of the grated orange rind. Whisk the ingredients together.

Filippo Berio UK supports City Harvest with surplus olive oil and other premium products. Find the original recipe here.