Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
Fall screams for pumpkin streusel muffins and hot tea on a chilly morning. These moist pumpkin muffins are topped with a simple pumpkin and oat streusel. As delicious as they are, they are even easier to make.
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Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
I actually made this recipe last year as a small pumpkin bread. It was delicious, but I prefer the grab and go convenience of muffins. And all of the best muffins have a crunchy, sweet streusel on top.
As much as I love desserts (and I think this website can back me up), for a muffin, I want to feel like I’m getting a little nutrition in there too. Between the whole wheat flour, pumpkin puree, and applesauce I feel that this one is not completely devoid of nutritional value.
Muffin Making 101
This is what we’d call a quick bread. We’re shooting for a moist muffin with a tender crumb. To achieve this, we want to mix the batter gently until just combined. Over mixing can make muffins denser and cause tunneling (basically tunnels through the muffin).
Luckily, you only need a couple of bowls, a whisk, and a spatula to whip up this simple batter. While you could use an electric beater, you want to be extra careful not to overmix.
Pecan Oat Streusel
For no particular reason, I decided I had to have oats in this streusel. So I took the streusel from my coffee cake layer cake and replaced some of the pecans with oats. If you want to watch me make it, check out that recipe video. But we won’t be baking this streusel separately.
A full tablespoon of this stuff looks like a lot, but as the muffin bakes up, it’s the perfect amount of topping. You could always go a bit lighter or heavier on the streusel, because this is your muffin.
Extra Streusel
You will not use all of the streusel in this recipe, but you’ve got some options. First, you could always halve the streusel recipe. While I have not done this, it should work out just fine.
Or you could dump the extra streusel on a baking sheet and bake at 350F for 15- 20 minutes, stirring it halfway through. Let it cool, then store it in an airtight container. Use it in this coffee cake layer cake, sprinkle it on yogurt, top pancakes, or whatever your heart desires.
Related Reading: Cranberry Ginger Bran Muffins
Crunchy or Soft?
I love a crunchy streusel topping on top of a soft muffin. And that’s what you’ll get with these right out of the oven. It’s perfection. However, they are very moist muffins. And if you put something moist and something crunchy in an airtight container, that crunchy topping gets moist. While still delicious, that textural difference will disappear. Just be advised.
If that’s a problem for you, there’s a bit of a fix. I reheated mine in the microwave for about 15 seconds (they had been in the fridge), then popped them in the oven at 350F for about 5 minutes. Let the muffin cool a bit and the topping will set up. It won’t be the same as freshly baked, but it’s close.
Muffin Mix Ins
Well, these pumpkin streusel muffins don’t have any mix-ins, but I couldn’t help thinking of a couple of yummy ones. Naturally, pecans would be a great addition to fold into this batter. I suggest toasting any nuts before adding them to the batter.
And for my fellow chocolate aficionados, I would absolutely suggest tossing some mini chocolate chips in these pumpkin muffins. They might sink, I’m not sure, so mini is the best choice to minimize this issue. I would also skip the streusel topping, but that’s just my vibe.
Tulip Liners
My biggest issue with making streusel topped muffins is spillage. Every time I’d add the streusel, it would go everywhere and I’d end up with some boring muffins. This time, I ordered these tulip liners.
Not only do they contain the streusel admirably, they give the muffins the space and structure to grow up nice and sturdy. You should be okay with regular muffin liners, but there could be issues with overflowing batter.
Enjoy!
Embrace the season by whipping up a batch of pumpkin streusel muffins. The muffins are lusciously moist, beautifully spiced, and that crunchy pecan oat streusel is glorious. I like to eat these as a snack or part of my breakfast, but they’d be a lovely addition to brunch as well.
I hope you enjoyed this simple muffin recipe today! If you love baking and dig the vibe here, pop on over to the Bakes & Blunders Facebook page and start following. I like to chat with other home bakers and get your help deciding future recipes.
Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
Ingredients
Pecan Oat Streusel Topping
- 4 oz all purpose flour
- 3 oz brown sugar
- 1 oz chopped pecans
- 1 oz rolled oats
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 3 oz unsalted butter cold & cubed
Pumpkin Muffins
- 4 oz all purpose flour
- 4 oz whole wheat flour
- 7 oz sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- 9 oz pumpkin puree
- 3 fl oz water
- 2.5 oz unsweetened applesauce
- 2 fl oz canola oil
- 1 egg room temperature
Instructions
Pecan Oat Streusel Topping
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, pecans, oats, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Top the dry ingredients with the cold, cubed butter. Use your hands to run the butter into the mixture until it has the consistency of course crumbs with a few larger lumps.
- Cover and place in the fridge while you prepare the muffin batter.
Pumpkin Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 375℉. Line a muffin pan with tulip liners and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flours, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, salt, and ginger. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, water, applesauce, canola oil, and egg until well combined.
- Combine the dry and wet ingredients in one bowl. Gently whisk or fold the ingredients together until combined.
- Divide the batter among the 12 tulip liners (roughly 1/4 cup of batter in each). Top with a tablespoon of the pecan oat streusel.
- Bake 24- 26 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5- 10 minutes before transferring the muffins to a cooling rack.
Notes
- This makes a lot more streusel than you will need. You could make a half batch, or just bake any remaining streusel. Spread it on a baking sheet and bake at 350F for 15- 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes.
- Tulip liners help contain the streusel.
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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
mark
The oat quantity is missing from the above recipe
Colleen
All fixed! Thank you for catching that.