Pumpkin Custard Cups

Oh, yum. Oh, yum. Oh, yum. That’s all I can say because I just made these for the first time. Not only does my kitchen smell like we just celebrated a major winter holiday, my tummy is happy because 1) I just ate something sweet, delicious, and ever so comforting, and 2) I just ate something high in vitamins, minerals and other sundry nutrients that has a healthy dose of protein and fiber as well, and contains absolutely no refined sugar. And lest I forget, if you make a bakers’ dozen of these, each one contains less than 70 calories.

If that doesn’t make you rush to your oven, one last thing: the ingredients are probably all in your pantry and fridge, so you can throw these together any old time without a special trip to the market and it takes less than five minutes. Literally.

What are you waiting for?

5 T. agave nectar or maple syrup
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
½ tsp. nutmeg
¼ tsp. cloves
¼ tsp. allspice
¼ tsp. cardamom
¼ tsp. white pepper
¼ tsp. salt
¾ c. egg whites
1 15 oz. can solid pack pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling, which has sugar and spice, as well as some not-so-nice stuff)
1 12 oz. can evaporated skim milk

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin and an additional small baking dish (like a 6 oz. ramekin).

Stir spices and salt into agave nectar or syrup and combine well. If you don’t have all of the spices, don’t worry—the cups will be delicious as long as you put in something. I consider the essentials to be the cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves; the others give it a chai-like bite that’s a little more complex and appealing to my palate, but I’m sure you and your tasters will be just fine with whatever you have on hand at home.

Stir the pumpkin and egg white into the mixture, and then gently stir in the milk, being careful not to make bubbles. When everything is uniformly combined, divide the mixture evenly between the muffin cups and the ramekin. Place the pan and ramekin in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes. The very center of the custard cups will look a little wobbly when they’re done, but they will continue to cook on residual heat for a while after you take them out of the oven.

Unmold them when they're completely cool. You might have to run a knife or thin spatula around the edges of the custards in muffin tins, but you can leave the thirteenth in the ramekin. That is, if you haven't already eaten it.