I was still in my pumpkin/Halloween mood (must just be that time of year!) when I found this recipe from Emeril Lagasse:
For this recipe, you will need dried cranberries, all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, grated nutmeg, salt, eggs, packed light brown sugar, milk, pumpkin puree (canned solid pumpkin), unsalted butter, vanilla extract, heavy cream, semisweet chocolate, semisweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and plastic spiders.
To prep for this recipe, chop 1 1/4 cup of semisweet chocolate.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees then line a 12-muffin tin with paper liners. In a saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Pour 3/4 cup of dried cranberries in a medium sized bowl and cover with the boiling water. Let them sit until plumped – about 5 to 10 minutes then drain well.
Sift 2 cups of all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves, 1/4 teaspoon of grated nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, whisk 2 large eggs, 1/2 cup of packed light brown sugar, 1/2 cup of milk, 1 cup of pumpkin puree, 4 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter, and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Once that is mixed well, add it to the dry ingredients. Stir until incorporated, but do not over mix. Fold in the cranberries.
Divide the mixture among the muffin cups and bake for 22 – 25 minutes (until golden brown). Remove and let cool for 10 minutes.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, scald 3/4 cup of heavy cream. Place 1 1/4 cups of chopped semisweet chocolate in a medium bowl and cover with the cream. Let sit for 2 minutes then whisk smooth. Spread this glaze over the muffins.
Melt 12 ounces of semisweet chocolate chips and 12 ounces of white chocolate chips. Splatter those onto parchment paper with a fork. It should look somewhat like spider webs. Place in the freezer until firm (about 5 to 10 minutes). Break the “webs” into 6-inch circular sections. Place a chocolate web on top of each muffin and top with a plastic spider.