Pumpkin Pecan Streusel Muffins

It’s pumpkin time!  I still have a few cans of pumpkin I hoarded from last year – so I see lots of pumpkin treats in my future.   Luckily pumpkin not only makes baked goods super moist – its good for you too! 

See the pumpkin in the background – its actually a glass pumpkin that I made while visiting the Corning Museum of Glass recently.  Well, I helped make it – it wouldn’t have turned into a pumpkin had I not blown into it to create the shape.  I highly recommend a visit to this museum if you are in the Upstate New York area – lots of interesting displays and interactive demos.  I can’t believe it took me so long to actually go there considering its not that far away from Buffalo. 

Here’s a close-up of my masterpiece   

And the insides of the muffins (made with real pumpkin –not a glass one) – the pecans really helped with the texture contrast – the muffins were so soft and moist that the crunch of the nuts are perfect.

Happy Fall!

Ingredients

Bread:

• 1/2 cup pecan pieces
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil or canola oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup pure pumpkin puree
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Topping:

• 3 Tbsp. light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 3 Tbsp. toasted pecan pieces (taken from pecans above)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Place the pecans on a baking sheet, and toast them in the oven for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Chop the pecans coarsely. Set aside 3 Tbsp. of the toasted pecans for the topping.  Keep the oven on the same temperature for the muffins.

2. Grease 12 standard-size muffin cups with butter or nonstick spray.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil and sugar. Add the eggs, pumpkin and water, and whisk until combined.

4. Stir in the flour, baking soda, spices and salt just until combined.  Gently stir in the 5 Tbsp. of pecan pieces.  Divide evenly among the muffin cups (I was able to get 10 muffins)

5. To make the topping: Stir together the sugar, butter, cinnamon and the reserved 3 Tbsp. of pecan pieces in a medium bowl.  Sprinkle the topping evenly over the muffins before baking.

6. Bake the muffins for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Source: Ezra Pound Cake

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