Pumpkin Crumb Cake Muffins

It's finally fall! And I'm finally posting on my blog! I'm not sure which is more exciting. Between school, swim, and homework, my past few weeks have been busy beyond belief; I have a feeling this will be my new norm. Thankfully, I found time this past Wednesday to sneak in some baking, and I made certain to save a slot in my schedule today to blog. Why is that, you ask? Because I thought it was only appropriate to post my first pumpkin recipe on the first day of fall! I mean, what's more autumnal than pumpkins? Nothing, probably.

The recipe I am sharing today, which I discovered on Sally's Baking Addiction (click here for the original recipe), makes 15 scrumptious Pumpkin Crumb Cake Muffins. And I mean scrumptious. My dad called them "one of the tastiest treats" that I've ever made, my brother requested that I make another batch, and my good friend, Madi J, exclaimed, "These are the best muffins I have ever tasted!". I could go on about how delicious these muffins are, but I think the overwhelming praise speaks for itself.

Admittedly, these were not the easiest muffins to whip up. This is not exactly your go-to one-bowl, three-ingredient, no-bake recipe... In fact, I think I used four bowls, and like, twenty ingredients. But spending the day in the kitchen surrounded by the warm aroma of pumpkin with a medley of spices cluttering your counter-- that's what fall is all about anyway! I think these maple-glazed muffins are the perfect seasonal recipe to celebrate the equinox, and are sure to get you into the autumn mood. Let me know if you try this recipe out for yourself and what you think of it in the comments section below! Happy fall, everyone :)

Pumpkin Crumb Cake Muffins

Ingredients

Muffins:

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (light or dark, packed)
• 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin purée
• 2 large eggs (room temperature)
• 1/4 cup milk (any kind, room temperature)

Crumb Topping:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (light or dark, packed)
• 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 6 tbsp. unsalted butter (softened)

Maple Icing:

• 1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
• 2 tbsp. pure maple syrup
• 2 tbsp. milk (any kind)

Directions

Muffins:

1. Preheat oven to 425℉. Grease a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray or line with cupcake liners. You will have leftover batter so you may want to prepare part of a second pan as well (this recipe makes approx. 15 muffins).
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin purée, eggs, and milk. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then gently fold everything together until all ingredients are just incorporated.
4. Fill muffin tins/liners about 4/5 full.

Crumb Topping:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice.
2. Stir in softened butter until crumbs form. Spoon crumbs evenly on top of batter and gently press down. 
3. Bake for 5 minutes at 425℉, then without opening oven, reduce heat to 350℉. Bake for 16-17 more minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
4. Allow muffins to cool for 10 minutes while making icing. (For mini muffins, bake about 11-13 minutes more minutes after reducing heat.)

Maple Icing:

1. In a small bowl, whisk all of the icing ingredients together until smooth. Drizzle over warm muffins and serve warm. Store in air-tight container at room temperature for 1-2 days, or in refrigerator for up to 1 week. Enjoy!