These bakery-style pumpkin muffins with pecan streusel are the perfect treat for fall, with their soft, fluffy interior and sweet and crunchy streusel topping.
I don't know when it happened exactly, but it happened. Summer turned to fall despite it not being so on the calendar. The air is crisp, the humidity low, and it's getting dark much earlier. I usually am the kind of girl who holds out until it's officially fall. I like a start and end date to the seasons. It's a reminder to properly thank the outgoing season for what it brought and to welcome the new season in. All signs point to fall coming earlier than expected, so I have acted accordingly though.
This past weekend, the smell of pumpkin muffins with streusel topping coming out of the oven was a great ceremonial beginning to welcome fall. These are definitely bakery-quality pumpkin muffins. The kind you make and people ask, "Where did you GET these from?" Oh, just a little ole place called my kitchen.
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Why These Pumpkin Muffins Are the Most Delicious
- Three words: Pecan. Streusel. Topping. The pecan streusel topping is just so delicious, adding a sweet crunch to the pillowy soft muffin. This topping is not to be skipped.
- Moist and fluffy. No dry pumpkin muffins here. These pumpkin muffins are tender and soft on the inside.
- Pumpkin spices abound. The muffins have the holy trinity of warm pumpkin spaces -- cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg -- that is the ultimate fall treat. Did I mention how lovely your kitchen will smell? It's an added bonus.
I'm no stranger to streusel topping. It's one of my very favorite parts about muffins because it gives them a luxurious feel. The kind of feel that you need to be sitting in your favorite chair with your favorite cup of coffee to truly soak up all the goodness. Am I alone in this? My blueberry muffins with pecan streusel are a true crowd pleaser and have the same streusel topping as these pumpkin muffins.
Then there's my favorite coffee cake that has a crumb topping. The coffee cake's streusel topping is nut-free and the streusel is a bit wetter and denser. The crumb topping has much larger bites of crumb than these muffins, but feel free to switch out the streusel topping from the crumb topping if you'd prefer.
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What You'll Need
You probably have all of the ingredients for these pumpkin muffins in your pantry right now. Here's what you'll need to gather:
For the muffins:
- all-purpose flour - You'll want to stick with all-purpose flour for these muffins for them to be fluffy and tender on the inside. You could likely use whole wheat but they'd be denser.
- salt
- baking powder
- baking soda
- pumpkin pie spices - This includes cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. If you have pumpkin pie spice, you could lose these three ingredients and add the same amount of pumpkin pie spice.
- unsalted butter
- granulated sugar
- large eggs
- pumpkin purée - Not to be confused with pumpkin pie filling, this pumpkin puree is 100%, pure pumpkin. I usually use Libby's because it's readily available at any grocery store.
For the streusel:
- all-purpose flour
- brown sugar
- cinnamon
- unsalted butter
- pecans
How to Make Pumpkin Muffins with Streusel
These muffins are not difficult to make. All you need is a couple of bowls and a stand mixer or hand-held mixer. Follow these simple steps to have fluffy bakery-style pumpkin muffins with streusel ready in under 45 minutes:
- Make the streusel by combining all of the ingredients except the pecans. Press the ingredients together with a fork or your hands until it resembles coarse sand. Set aside.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
- Mix butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add eggs. Slowly add dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Divide batter evenly into 12 muffin tins. Add streusel on top. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Variations
- Skip the topping - need to save a bit of time? Skip the streusel (although it pains my heart to think of this). The pumpkin muffins are still delicious naked.
- Add chocolate chips - add a cup of chocolate chips (regular or mini) to the batter for some added sweetness in your muffins. If you love chocolate and pumpkin together, be sure to check out the Chocolate Pumpkin Swirl Bread or Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bars.
- Go nutty. Add nuts to the batter, like pecans or walnuts.
- Add raisins. This would not be my kids' first choice, but I think raisins would be delicious personally.
Storage
Store the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature. They will stay fresh for 3-4 days.
Freezer Instructions: The pumpkin muffins can be stored in the freezer in an airtight container or freezer-safe plastic bag for 3-4 months. Take out of the freezer and let sit at room temperature for 3-4 hours before enjoying.
Other Pumpkin Favorites
- Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bars
- Moist Pumpkin Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Maple Glaze
- Pumpkin Chocolate Swirl Bread
- Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
- Small Batch Pumpkin Scones
- Maple Bourbon Pumpkin Pie from Scratch
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Pumpkin Muffins with Streusel
Ingredients
For the streusel topping
- 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature, cut into small cubes
- 3 teaspoons pecans chopped
For the muffins:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cloves
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- ¾ cup unsalted butter 1 ½ sticks at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 15 oz. can pumpkin purée
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F. Prepare a muffin tin with liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Place all of the streusel ingredients except the chopped pecans in a bowl. Using a fork of your fingers, press the ingredients together until it resembles course sand. Then add the chopped pecans and stir until combined. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment or in a large bowl with a hand-held mixer, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until just combined. Then add the pumpkin purée. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the dry ingredients slowly while mixer is on low. Mix until just combined.
- Using a cookie scoop, even divide the batter into the 12 muffin tins. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick placed in the center of the muffin comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
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