Having a variety of pumpkin recipes is important this time of year. I have been making these versatile muffins for 30+ years and my family loves them. They are light, moist, sweet, and delicious! The warm spices of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves bring the scents of autumn to your kitchen. They’re perfect for Thanksgiving morning, but I make them year round. They’re great for breakfast, brunch, dessert, or to give as gifts. And they’re quick to make, can be served warm or room temperature, and with or without the streusel topping and glaze.
Start by making the quick and easy streusel. You can skip the streusel if you want, but why would you?! It’s filled with warm spices, crunchy crumbs, and hearty oats. It’s so good and adds a nice texture to the top. But these muffins are seriously worthy of standing on their own, too. Flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and oats are mixed with melted butter – that’s it! So easy. I love this simple streusel for other things, too, like coffee cake, fruit pies (including pumpkin), crisps, any quick bread or muffin recipe. You can even add it to top of boxed-mix baked goods to give them a more homemade touch.
As far as pumpkin goes, when pumpkin puree is on sale, I stock up. My pumpkin repertoire consists of pumpkin bars, muffins, cheesecake, cheesecake bars, pancakes, cake pops, pumpkin roll, pumpkin pie, and my mom’s famous pumpkin bread. It’s hard to pick a favorite. I have been known to make more than one pumpkin dessert on Thanksgiving. And I think autumn is the perfect time of year to celebrate this winter squash. Of course you can make your own pumpkin puree.
To make your own pumpkin puree, get the small sugar pumpkins or pie pumpkins. They are much smaller than Halloween pumpkins, and produce a better puree than the big pumpkins do. Simply wash your pumpkins, then cut into quarters with a sharp knife. Place cut side down on a lightly greased sheet pan, and bake at 375 degrees for about an hour. The pumpkin should be soft and easily pull away from the outer rind. Scrape out the puree and measure before using. I like to pulse it through the blender or food processor until smooth. It will keep for two weeks in the fridge. It freezes well, too, and will last up to two months in an airtight container.
The muffin batter comes together quickly. That’s the beauty of a muffin recipe – quick and easy for busy mornings or unexpected company. You don’t need to have your ingredients at room temperature either. Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl, the wet ingredients in another, then combine the two, scoop into muffin pans (with liners), tope with streusel, and bake.
I love the glaze on top, too! It looks beautiful and tastes amazing. It is just enough drizzle to add a pinch of vanilla sweetness.
To make these pumpkin muffins even easier, I find the best thing to use is silicone baking cups. If you are not on team silicone, please let me enlighten you! I love silicone baking cups for several reasons. They are nonstick and pull away from the baked goods very easily. Ever have a paper liner stick to the bottom of your cupcake or muffin? It ain’t pretty! Since silicone is nonstick, it turns out beautiful baked goods. You don’t need cooking spray with silicone either. The nonstick properties are inherent in the material, which is BPA free and oven safe. Clean up is easier with silicone liners. They protect the muffin tin well without leaking. With paper liners, I often find a greasy mess in the pan under the liners. And silicone liners are reusable, which is environmentally friendly. I’m not a fan of the silicone muffin pans, as they are not rigid enough to avoid spills when transferring items in and out of the oven. But liners are top notch. My favorite Food52 silicone liners are linked HERE. I recommend two sets.
For my favorite batter bowl, check this one out also at Food 52: Mosser Glass Batter Bowl. It’s as beautiful as it is functional. And if it’s time for some new measuring cups, this set of Stainless Steel Measuring Cups is one the best I have found. Don’t forget the muffin pans! Nordic Ware Muffin Pans are my brand of choice because they wear well and are made in the USA. They’re also perfect for other baked goods like cupcakes, individual cheesecakes, peanut butter cups, and more. Plus they can be hold ingredients for topping stations for ice cream sundaes, baked potatoes, salads, and a ton of other ideas.
Pumpkin Muffins will be an excellent addition to your Thanksgiving menu or holiday season. Let me know what you think in the comment section below. Happy baking! Enjoy!
Pumpkin Muffins
Equipment
- Muffin pan
- Silicone baking cups Optional, and recommended
- Cookie scoop Optional, and recommended
Ingredients
Streusel Topping
- 1¼ cups flour
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- ⅔ cup oats
- 10 tablespoons butter, melted (1 stick + 2 tablespoons)
Pumpkin Muffins
- 2½ cups all purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- ⅔ cup vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup milk of choice
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 can pumpkin puree (15 ounces)
Vanilla Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons milk of choice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch salt
Instructions
Streusel Topping (Optional)
- In medium bowl, stir together flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, salt, brown sugar, and oats.
- Add melted butter and mix thoroughly. Set aside while you prepare muffin batter.
Pumpkin Muffins
- Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line 12-cup and 6-cup muffin tins with silicone or paper liners. Set aside.
- In medium bowl add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Whisk to blend and set aside.
- In large bowl, add eggs and beat with wire whisk until frothy.
- Add oil, milk, sugar, and brown sugar. Whisk to blend well.
- Add pumpkin puree and whisk until just blended.
- Use a wooden spoon to add dry ingredients to wet ingredients until just mixed.
- Scoop batter into liners about ⅔ full.
- Spoon about 1 tablespoon streusel mixture on top of each batter-filled liner.
- Gently press down on streusel to help it adhere to batter.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes.
- Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees. Continue to bake for about 15-18 minutes or until wooden pick comes out clean.
- Cool in pan on wire racks. Serve warm or completely cooled.
- Drizzle with glaze, if desired.
Vanilla Glaze
- Mix powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and pinch of salt in small bowl until smooth with a thin consistency. Drizzle over muffins by dipping spoon into glaze then moving back and forth over the top of each muffin.
