Almond Pecan Spice Muffins
Muffins, like these Almond Pecan Spice Muffins, are crazy easy to make. Any beginner baker can whip up a batch of light, fluffy muffins. Enjoy them with breakfast, brunch, or as a snack. This recipe uses pantry staples, so it is perfect for short notice baking. I love the warm spice of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger in this recipe!
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This recipe was originally published on May 7, 2020. It was updated on January 26, 2023.
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Quarantine Baking
In the world of Quarantine Baking, I want recipes that are delicious, use basic ingredients, and provide substance. Almond Pecan Spice Muffins fit the bill perfectly! The original recipe calls for just pecans, but I didn’t have enough so I made up the difference with sliced almonds from my pantry.
I love a thousand desserts as much as the next girl, but right now I want to bake things that are useful. This week, these muffins will be paired with a chocolate smoothie for breakfast and I’ll nosh on them as snacks. I will get a lot more mileage out of some Almond Pecan Spice Muffins than a giant cake. (But I so badly want to make a giant two tier cake right now…)
Pastry School
A lovely friend and neighbor went to culinary school a few years ago. She was kind enough to lend me her pastry school books several months ago. I’ve been reading a chapter here and there and learning so much!
I recently got to the chapter on Quick Breads and learned about three different mixing methods. At the end of the chapter, I discovered over a dozen amazing recipes! After much hemming and hawing, I landed on these muffins because I actually had all of the ingredients on hand, more or less.
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Mixing Methods
One of my baking instructors at my local community college likes to stress two things at every class. 1. Mise en place is the most important part of any recipe. 2. If you know the method, you can make any recipe.
With quick breads, there are three main mixing methods. They are the biscuit method, the muffin method, and the creaming method. Honestly, I had only heard of the creaming method, and that was in terms of cake! But it turns out I’ve used these methods numerous times, as I’m sure you have too.
The Biscuit Method
- Use this method to make biscuits, scones, and shortcakes.
- Cut fat into the dry ingredients, add wet ingredients, and knead just to bring the dough together.
- This produces light, flaky baked goods.
The Muffin Method
- Use this method to make muffins or quick bread loaves.
- Mix dry and wet ingredients (including melted fat) in separate bowls. Then combine, fold in chunky ingredients, portion, and bake.
- This creates tender baked goods.
Related Reading: Ham & Brie Bread with Fig Jam
The Creaming Method
- Commonly used for cakes and cupcakes, it is also great for muffins.
- Cream soft fat (usually butter) and sugar until fluffy, add eggs, alternate adding dry and wet ingredients but end with dry.
- This method also creates tender baked goods and they tend to last longer than those made with the muffin method.
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Almond Pecan Spice Muffins
This recipe goes with the muffin method, making it super quick and easy. My number one piece of advice with any quick bread is not to over mix. Mix gently and only until just combined. If you develop too much gluten through over mixing, you will end up with a tough, hard muffin.
Josh’s grandmother famously had a recipe for spice cake where she wrote, “Good. Omit spices.” If you are not a huge fan of spices, I suggest scaling back for this recipe. The Almond Pecan Muffins are light, moist, and full of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
2023
I had a brunch meeting to go to and no time to run to the grocery store for ingredients. Luckily enough, I once again had mostly all of the needed ingredients to whip up a batch of almond pecan spice muffins.
But I did make a few changes…
Almond Flour
I found the sliced almonds to be a bit sharp in the last muffins I made, so I opted for almond flour. This made the muffins slightly more dense (because I did not reduce the flour), but added a bit of flavor and moisture.
Dried Buttermilk
For baking, I almost only use whole milk or buttermilk. And since I almost never just happen to have them on hand, I’ve recently become obsessed with dried buttermilk. You can substitute 8 fl oz of milk for the dried buttermilk and water in this recipe.
Enjoy!
This pandemic may have made a lot of ingredients scarce, but that doesn’t mean baking needs to be boring. If you are fully stocked on the kitchen basics, you are sure to have everything you need to make Almond Pecan Spice Muffins.
And don’t be afraid to get creative with the recipe! Use any nuts, dried fruit, or chocolate chips you have on hand. If you make these, make sure to tag @bakesandblunders on Facebook or Instagram so I can see!
Almond Pecan Spice Muffins
Ingredients
- 8 oz all- purpose flour
- 5 oz sugar
- 1.25 oz dried buttermilk*
- 1 Tbsp bread & cake enhancer optional
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 8 fl oz water* room temperature
- 2 oz unsalted butter melted
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 oz chopped pecans
- 2 oz ground almonds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a muffin tin or line with paper cases.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, dried buttermilk, cake enhancer (if using) baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, butter, and vanilla until well combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stiry gently until just about combined. Fold in the nuts until just combined.
- Distribute the batter evenly in the muffin tin. Bake for 20 - 22 minutes or until the tops spring back when poked. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Notes
- Use any nuts, dried, fruit, or chocolate chips you have on hand.
- *If you don't have dried buttermilk, omit the powder and use 8 fl oz of milk instead of water.
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Colleen
Hi there! I’m Colleen, a novice baker with a passion for learning and improving my bakes… and blunders. On Bakes and Blunders, you can find all sorts of tasty recipes that range in difficulty, but most importantly, I’ll try to explain the reason behind important steps. If you know why a recipe works, you can tweak and adapt it to suit your unique tastes, and you’ll be able to reliably produce some very delicious treats. If you love baking and want to expand and grow your skills, or if you are a casual baker and just need some pointers, my blog is right up your alley! Join me on my baking journey and we’ll learn how to make more impressive recipes together.
2 Comments
Katie E
I’m an experienced baker. Made TWO separate batches of this recipe and something is amiss! Batter was VERY wet (while measured correctly), and muffins rose than sank after cooling, turning into greasy pancakes, so both went straight into the bin 🙁 Are the wet ingredients and baking soda amounts potentially written wrong as that is what causes that to happen? It also lists cinnamon twice, while one is supposed to be ginger (but that’s an easy fix) so wondering if it’s the miscalculations or lack of proofreading in this recipe as it doesn’t turn out at all?
Colleen
Katie, I’m so sorry this didn’t work out for you! I responded to your email and I hope that helps. You are spot on with the second cinnamon. Silly me, but I’ve changed it to ginger. Thanks for catching that 😀 Otherwise, the recipe is correct. There is only baking powder, so if you used baking soda instead, that could be the problem. While these muffins are not super tall, they should not be flat. Mine did not collapse, as you can see in the pictures, but I can’t say for certain what caused yours to fall. The batter is not super thick like my Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, but it shouldn’t be soupy either. The only liquids are 8 fl oz of milk, 2 eggs, and 2 oz of melted butter. There are certainly enough dry ingredients to create a decent batter.