Pumpkin Streusel Muffin Recipe

How long does pumpkin-eating season last, do you think? Generally all through fall and maybe partway into winter, although pumpkin super-fans can certainly cook up their favorite flavored treats during spring and summer as well thanks to the magic of canned goods. Recipe developer Jessica Morone, who is a huge pumpkin fan, says she likes plain pumpkin muffins just fine, but thinks these streusel ones are even better thanks to a crumb topping she describes as "buttery, sweet, and salty."

Morone also likes to top her muffins with a cream cheese glaze, feeling that this addition makes them "the best pumpkin muffins of all time," but if you feel the glaze is too much of a good thing, she does say, "You can skip the glaze completely if you don't like it." She also suggests that a simpler glaze could be made from powdered sugar mixed with a little milk. The one ingredient she advises you not mess with is the maple syrup, as she feels it's what really makes these muffins special. "The maple," Morone says, "helps to bring out the pumpkin flavor in the muffins." In her opinion, these two fall flavors make for a perfect pairing, and we're pretty inclined to agree.

These muffins do require quite a long list of ingredients, but many of them are typical pantry or refrigerator staples and none of them are at all difficult to find. For the muffin batter, you'll need flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, pumpkin puree, eggs, milk, maple syrup, oil, and vanilla. For the streusel, you will also need butter and brown sugar, while to make the glaze you'll be using cream cheese and powdered sugar.

Before you start the cooking, preheat the oven to 375 F and either grease a muffin pan or line the cups with paper liners.

Mix 2 cups of the flour with 1 cup of the granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, and all of the baking powder and cinnamon. Stir together the pumpkin puree, eggs, syrup, and oil along with ½ cup milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture, stirring until the batter is just combined, then use it to fill each muffin cup about ¾ full.

Stir the rest of the flour and ground sugar together along with the remaining pumpkin pie spice and the brown sugar. Mix in the melted butter, using a fork and stirring until you have something resembling crumbs. Spoon it as evenly as possible over the muffin batter, then bake the muffins for 20 to 22 minutes. Once they're done, they'll appear golden brown in color and you'll be able to stick a toothpick in the center and have it come out clean.

As the muffins cool, beat the cream cheese until it is smooth, then beat in the powdered sugar and the remaining vanilla. Add the rest of the milk, just a bit at a time, until your frosting is liquidy enough to drizzle, but not too thin. (You may not need to use all of the milk.) Once the muffins are cool, drizzle them with the glaze before you eat them.

Morone notes that the cream cheese glaze means that the muffins should be refrigerated, but she does note that "you can take them out and let them get to room temperature before eating them" if you're not a fan of chilly baked goods. You can also freeze the muffins once they are completely cool.