Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

 

These muffins sounded really good, so I made them even though I didn't have all the ingredients on hand (story of my life). I substituted, optimistically thinking they'd turn out anyway...

It wasn't that they didn't turn out, as you can see from the photos. They look like a perfectly normal muffin. But something was a little off inside. The texture of them was more like an old marshmallow than the tender-crumbed, yet hearty oaty muffin-ness I was imagining. I will make them again, this time with all the right ingredients and see. That said, they weren't a bad muffin anyway, so you should still make them. Especially if you have a half-can of pumpkin you need to use up pronto!

(But stay tuned: I've got a recipe for apple coconut muffins that did meet my oaty/tender expectations, even with substitution, coming up.)

 

Pumpkin Streusal Muffins

 

set your oven to 375, and grease a 12 muffin pan or use paper liners

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons molasses (I didn't have any, so I used table syrup:/ it would be a lot better with molasses, methinks)
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup oat flour (I used only all-purpose because that's all I had. Perhaps this was the proverbial "missing ingredient" that ruined my muffins.)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• pinch of allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Streusel Topping:

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tbsp rolled oats
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 2 tablespoons cold butter

Cream the sugar and the butter, and then beat in the eggs, pumpkin, buttermilk and molasses. In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients together. Make the streusel topping in a third bowl, using a pastry blender to cut in the butter until the whole thing is thoroughly combined and crumbly.
When you're ready to bake, mix the dry ingredients into the wet, stirring just enough to combine. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full, and sprinkle the streusel topping liberally over the muffins.
Bake for about 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let them cool for a few minutes in the pan before taking them out.