Pumpkin muffins with pecan streusel
- Preparation 20 min
- Cooking 22 min
- Servings 12
- Freezing Absolutely
Ads
🎃 Fall muffins that are straight-up indulgent
I just made these to celebrate fall and I’ll be honest with you: these pumpkin muffins are indulgent. Not “good for muffins” indulgent. Genuinely, unapologetically indulgent. A moist, well-spiced crumb, a pecan streusel crust on top, and a maple glaze that drips into every crack. It’s a dessert disguised as breakfast and I’m completely okay with that. The recipe is easy. One bowl for the dry ingredients, one for the wet, no creaming with a mixer.
🍊 The orange zest. That’s my thing
I haven’t seen anyone do it in the pumpkin muffin recipes floating around, and yet it changes everything. The orange doesn’t taste like orange in the finished product. It wakes up the cinnamon, ginger and cloves and makes them come through so much more. Leave it out and you have a good muffin. Put it in and you have this one. With the maple glaze on top, it’s downright indecent.
🌡️ The oven trick for a perfectly domed top
I don’t want flat muffins that look embarrassed in their pan. I want big, bold ones with a dome that spills over the edge. The trick is to start the oven at 425 °F for the first five minutes, then drop it to 350 °F without taking the pan out. That blast of heat makes the batter rise all at once before the crust sets, and that’s exactly what gives you the dome. I fill my cups almost to the very top, no hesitation.
Ads
Ads
🌡️ The dome is all about temperature
The first five minutes at 425 °F make the batter rise all at once while the top is still soft. That’s when the dome forms. If you drop the oven to 350 °F right away, you’ll get decent muffins but flat ones. Don’t take the pan out to change the temperature, just turn the dial and leave everything inside.
🧁 Fill the cups almost to the very top
I know it looks like too much, but it’s intentional. That’s what gives you big muffins with a beautiful crispy edge around the crown. The recipe is calibrated for twelve generous muffins, not sixteen small ones.
🥜 Go easy with the fork when making the streusel
You’re looking for clumps, not a paste. And when you press it onto the muffins, just give it a tiny bit of pressure so it holds. If you push it in too much, it disappears into the batter instead of staying crunchy on top. At my place, not a single piece fell off when unmoulding.
🍁 The glaze makes a generous amount, and that’s okay
You don’t have to use it all. I used every last drop because I thought it was deliciously over the top. If you want to go lighter, keep the rest in the fridge. It comes back together with a drop of milk and a quick whisk.
🍫 Want to take it one step further
Add 3/4 cup (180 ml) of chocolate chips to the batter at the same time as you fold in the wet ingredients. With the spices and orange zest, it works really well. For mini muffins, skip the two-temperature bake and cook them for 11 to 13 minutes at 350 °F (177 °C) from start to finish.
🥛 The milk doesn’t really matter here
I used lactose-free milk because that’s what I had, but any milk does the job, dairy or plant-based. Same goes for the glaze.
❄️ Storage and freezing
Stored in an airtight container, they keep for 1 to 2 days at room temperature or up to a week in the fridge. They also freeze really well, glaze included, for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then bring to room temperature or warm them up for a few seconds in the microwave.
✅ What to serve with my pumpkin muffins with pecan streusel?
They work at breakfast, as a snack or as dessert, warm or at room temperature. If fall has a hold on you the way it does on me, my Pumpkin bread is the sliceable version of the same obsession, and my Pumpkin Crème Caramel finishes a fall dinner like nothing else. If you want to stay in muffin territory, my Banana and pecan muffins play on the same nut.
Ads
Muffins
- 1 3/4 cups (430 ml) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp (5 ml) baking soda
- 1/2 tsp (2 ml) baking powder
- 2 tsp (10 ml) ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp (1 ml) ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp (1 ml) ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp (1 ml) ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp (1 ml) ground allspice
- 1/2 tsp (2 ml) salt
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) canola or vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) golden or dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) canned pumpkin purée
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) milk, at room temperature
- Zest of one orange
Streusel
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) golden or dark brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) chopped pecans
- 1/4 tsp (1 ml) ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp (1 ml) ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp (1 ml) ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp (1 ml) ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp (1 ml) ground allspice
- 8 tbsp (125 ml) unsalted butter, melted
Glaze
- 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) pure maple syrup
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) milk
Ads
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 425 °F (218 °C). Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray or line with paper liners. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice and salt until combined. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin purée, eggs, milk and orange zest until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and gently fold together just until no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix.
- Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling them almost to the very top.
- Make the streusel. Whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, chopped pecans, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and allspice. Using a fork, stir in the melted butter until clumps form, without overmixing. Distribute the clumps evenly over the batter and press very lightly, just enough so they hold.
- Bake for 5 minutes at 425 °F (218 °C), then, leaving the muffins in the oven, reduce the temperature to 350 °F (177 °C). Continue baking for 16 to 17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan.
- Make the glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar, maple syrup and milk until smooth and lump-free. Drizzle over the muffins and serve warm.
Two things. Don’t overmix the batter. Stop as soon as there are no more streaks of flour, otherwise the gluten develops and the muffins turn rubbery. And respect the baking time: a toothpick that comes out clean, no more. The pumpkin purée keeps the crumb very moist, but it won’t forgive five extra minutes in the oven.
Yes, but drain it first. Canned purée is more concentrated than homemade, which often contains a lot of water. Spread yours out on a clean kitchen towel and press before measuring, otherwise the batter will be too wet and the muffins won’t rise properly. I use the canned stuff and I stand by it.
Let’s be honest for a minute: with a buttery streusel and a maple glaze, we’re not in health-muffin territory. You can replace half the flour with whole wheat flour and skip the glaze. They’ll still be very good. But if your goal is to treat yourself, keep the recipe as is and eat one instead of three.
Yes, replace 1/4 cup (60 ml) of the streusel flour with quick-cooking rolled oats. It gives a more rustic texture that’s a little less sandy. I went with pecans because I find they pair better with pumpkin and maple, but both work.
Almost always because the oven wasn’t hot enough at the start, or because the cups weren’t filled enough. The heat blast in the first five minutes at 425 °F is what makes the batter rise all at once. Also check the freshness of your baking soda and baking powder. After a year, they lose a lot of their lift.
I don’t recommend it. The baking soda and baking powder start reacting as soon as they touch the wet ingredients, and you’ll lose the rise. That said, you can measure all your dry ingredients and make the streusel the night before, then put everything together in five minutes in the morning.
Ads
Ads
Ads
Ads
Ads