Pumpkin streusel muffin

LEAH’S NOTEBOOK:

*PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SKIP MY MUSINGS AND GO DIRECTLY TO THE RECIPE.

Hello. friends! Happy Fall! Hope you and yours are well, and enjoying the beginning of this season of coziness.

I got a little break to write a post today and I am so happy! It is Indigenous Peoples Day and it is a work holiday for me but not for Mr Sweetie. I get a little bit of “me time” which I really needed with all the responsibilities of work and taking care of elderly parents who are still very healthy and strong, by God’s grace. They went back to the Philippines on September 30 on an 11:45 pm flight after being in the US since July 2021. The family and I saw them off and praying for their safe return next year.

This means that I get Sundays afternoon back after online church to have a little bit of free time but most likely, it will be spent with my siblings as Sunday is always family day. I spent my Sundays and some week days while my mom and dad were in the US taking them shopping, getting them to their medical appointments then finishing the day having lunch or dinner before dropping them back off at my sister’s house. I really miss them already although a little break is also healthy and good for everyone! 🙂

Fall has arrived in the Bay Area. The mornings are chilly in the low 50s then the afternoons warm up to 60s and low 70s. The leaves are turning and it seems like a filter of orange, brown, yellow and different hues of earth colors was applied to our world. Pumpkins of all shapes and sizes have appeared everywhere at farmers market, grocery stores and patios in the neighborhood.

The days are more conducive for drinking copious amounts of creamy tea (which I have been doing). I have also been staying in the evenings (while Mr Sweetie was in a business trip in Los Angeles for 4 days) to read mysteries while the house is cozily decorated with Halloween decors which I put up early this year (early like while the weather was still hot in mid-September. LOL!). And of course, the season of baking has begun.

Wishing you all a cozy and restful autumn to enjoy in solitude and among friends and family!

Pumpkin Streusel Muffins (Almost Vegan)

I made Pumpkin Streusel Muffins as my first baking project this season. And as always, I used vegan butter and oat milk. It is not completely vegan as I used eggs. They were utterly moist and delicious!

I adapted the recipe from Sally’s Baking Recipes using her Pumpkin Crumb Cake Muffins. Here is my version:

INGREDIENTS

Dry Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light or brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients

• 1 15 oz canned pumpkin puree or 1 1/2 cups
• 1/2 cup canola, vegetable or Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I used EVOO)
• 2 large eggs
• About 1/4 cup milk (I used oat milk)

Streusel Toppings

• 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (I used vegan butter)

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Spray 2 muffin pans with nonstick spray or line with cupcake liners. This recipe yields 16-18 muffins so you will need as many cupcake liners or spray 2 muffins pans. Set aside.
3. Mix the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, sugar. brown sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt together until combined.
4. Mix the wet ingredients: In another bowl, whisk the oil, pumpkin puree, eggs and milk together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then fold everything together gently just until combined.
5. Make the streusel topping: Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice together until combined. Lightly mix in the melted butter until crumbs form. Don’t over mix.
6. Spoon the batter into liners until about 3/4 full. Do not overfill.
7. Spoon crumbs evenly on top of the batter and gently press them down.
8. Bake for 5 minutes at 425 then, keeping the muffins in the oven, lower the oven temperature to 350°F. Bake for an additional 16-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total baking time is about 21-22 minutes.
9. Allow the muffins to cool for 10 minutes in the muffin pan before serving. Enjoy!

MY NOTES

1. This has been second time that I have baked these muffins using the above recipe. I realized that 8 tablespoons of butter are the perfect amount instead of 6 tablespoons. With using only 6 tablespoons there were flour pockets in the topping mix which is always yucky to bite into. 8 tablespoons of butter seem like a lot but since I am using vegan butter, it is less guilt if not guilt-free at all. 🙂
2. I allowed my carnivore co-worker to enjoy the muffins first before revealing that I used vegan butter and oat milk. She was stunned and impressed. She said the muffins were really delicious as her face has shown as she devoured them. Mr Sweetie loved them, too, and he still does not know that I used vegan butter and oat milk. If he asks, I will tell him but what he does not really need to know, does he?! LOL!

Did you make PUMPKIN STREUSEL MUFFINS? Please let me know by leaving a comment below.