Monday, September 30, 2013

Haters gonna hate...

...but to those who really love pumpkiny things, I've got a great muffin recipe for you! The coolest part is? It's completely original. I didn't take someone else's recipe and butcher it until it was "my own". I didn't look at a recipe online and tweak it just to make it suit my taste. This is all mine, from start to finish. I didn't even copy someone else's measurements. Now, this is a pumpkin crumb muffin. The idea has likely crossed many a mind and I don't take any credit for the general idea of a pumpkin muffin. Duh. But I will forever cherish this successful recipe as my very own. And I'm going to be brave and share it with the world because I would like others to try it out and tell me if it really is as successful as think it is.

Now that you know how much this recipe means to me (oh my goodness be nice, please)...

Pumpkin Crumb Muffins (makes 1 doz.)
for the muffins:
1 stick of unsalted butter at room temperature -OR- 1/2 C. coconut oil at room temperature
3/4 C. packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 C. pumpkin puree
2 C. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. ground clove
1 tsp. vanilla extract
crumb topping**

Set a rack to the center of  the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Next, mix in the egg and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth. Then add the pumpkin puree. Now it's time to blend in the sifted flour mixture. Mix until all the ingredients are incorporated, but try not to over mix. The batter will be quite thick and that's totally okay. Evenly divide the batter between 12 lined muffin cups. Spraying the paper liners with a little cooking spray before spooning in the batter is a good idea. Sprinkle the crumb mixture on top of the batter. Gently press the crumbs into the batter to ensure they stick while the muffins bake and rise. Bake for approximately 25 minutes. The crumb should be a light, golden brown and the tops of the muffins should spring back when pressed gently. These can over bake VERY quickly, so around the 22 minute mark, watch them like a hawk. Allow the muffins to cool (preferably on a wire rack) for about 10 to 15 minutes. I think these are best served warm, but you can certainly store them in an air-tight baggie or container for about a week.

**for the crumb topping:
5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
3/4 C. all purpose flour
1/2 C. granulated sugar OR 1/4 C. each brown sugar and granulated sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for the crumb topping and mix well; set aside to cool completely.



A few notes:
I know it seems like there is a lot of spice in this recipe. But the pumpkin is a fairly strong flavor so I find that these are actually well-balanced.

These are not overly sweet, which is great. They lend themselves well to adding a drizzle of confectioner's glaze or a spread of cream cheese.

I found that the muffins were nice and moist, as long as they didn't over-bake. If you have hot spots in your oven, be sure to rotate the pan about halfway through cooking.

I have absolutely no clue how these freeze. I'm hoping they don't last long enough to find out. But if anyone makes them and freezes them, please let me know how well they fare.

If you do try this recipe, I would greatly appreciate your [constructive] comments and feed back. If you don't like them or have a problem, I welcome that discussion as long as it's polite. You may leave comments here on this post or you are welcome to email me at ellebelle.kol@gmail.com

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