I know I said I was done with pumpkin for awhile, but it seems I lied. I think it's the color, and the spice, and the warm flavor; when the last of the leaves are gone and the smell of frost is in the air I just start dreaming about it! Of course there are thousands of pumpkin muffin recipes in the world. This is my twist, with a crunchy, almost savory streusel topping involving one of my favorite nutrient-packed pantry oddities: cacao nibs!
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| Tender, moist and flavorful--and like all muffins, pretty darn easy to make! |
Z.D's Pumpkin Muffins with Cacao Nib Streusel
Ingredients:
For the Streusel:
1/4 Cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, diced
1/4 Cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
1/4 Cup old fashioned oats, divided
1/4 Tablespoon (generous) kosher salt
1/2 Cup raw almonds, chopped
1 & 1/2 Tablespoon cacao nibs
For the Batter:
1 & 1/2 Cups flour
1/2 Cup old-fashioned oats
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
1 Cup canned pumpkin purée
1 Cup golden brown sugar (packed, of course)
1/2 Cup coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon freshly grated orange zest (optional)
Directions:
- Pre-heat your oven to 350º F, and line 12 regular muffin cups with paper liners. In a food processor, combine butter, sugar, 2 Tablespoons of the oats, and salt. Pulse together until large clumps form. Transfer to a small bowl, and mush in the remaining oats, almonds and cacao nibs until combined. Set aside.
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| If you don't have a food processor, you can mash the ingredients together with a fork. It takes longer, & you'll have coarser streusel because all of the oats will be intact, but it tastes just as yum. |
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and spices until fully mixed. Sat aside.
- In a large bowl, beat together remaining ingredients until well combined. If using orange zest, grate it fresh, directly into the bowl so as not to lose the flavorful oils.
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| If you use the orange zest, your muffins will have a slightly brighter flavor, and they will be a little puffier, because the acid will interact with the baking soda for a little more lift. I did not use the orange zest for this batch, but left it in the recipe for those of you who prefer bigger, fluffier muffins! |
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until thoroughly combined. Scoop batter into muffin cups (about 1/2 Cup of batter per muffin comes out perfect), and sprinkle streusel mixture evenly over the tops.
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| This looks like a lot of topping, but remember the butter will melt deliciously into the muffins as they bake, and the streusel will flatten out. |
- Bake at 350º F until the tops are tinted gold and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 24 - 25 minutes. Cool in pan, serve slightly warm or at room temp.
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| Put a basket of those beauties on your kitchen table, and see how fast they go! |
I store my muffins by leaving them in the muffin tin and laying a sheet of plastic wrap over the top, it seems to be the perfect combo to keep them fresh. While my husband was slightly disappointed these didn't have cream cheese frosting anywhere, we both the loved the distinctive, slightly bitter, almost umami crunch from the cacao. As the days get darker and colder, a pretty, nummy breakfast like this is a big help for getting out of bed in the morning.
Or, enjoy with a cup of afternoon tea over your favorite book. Camela and I are reading Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol" for our Shadows On the Sound December bookclub read--read along and tune in for our review in a couple weeks! Happy holidays!