These pumpkin pecan muffins are soft and moist and are topped with sweet cinnamon pecan crumble topping. Just the right balance of flavors!
It was not my plan to make these Pumpkin Pecan Muffins with Cinnamon Sugar Crumble Topping today at all, but it has been so cold this week that I felt like making something pumpkin. Luckily I got up early today and had plenty of time to roast the actual pumpkin as well as make pumpkin puree, which I used in this recipe.
What kind of pumpkin to use
Fresh pumpkin puree. I used homemade pumpkin puree made from a fresh pumpkin. So, if you bought a Thanksgiving pumpkin and wondering what to do with it – do not throw it away! Make Thanksgiving muffing instead!
Pumpkin leftovers. Or, if you have any of the pumpkin leftovers laying around the house, or actual pumpkin in the back yard, this is a delicious way to eat one – in a muffin.
Canned pumpkin. No pumpkin – no problem. You can certainly use a canned pumpkin puree with these pumpkin pecan muffins!
These Pumpkin Pecan Muffins with Cinnamon Sugar Crumble Topping are so bright and fresh – they will make a cozy Thanksgiving morning breakfast. And a warming fall treat. And a pretty good dessert!
Crumbly on the outside and very delicious on the inside!
I had one for breakfast this morning with a cup of hot tea and it was just the perfect balance of protein and carbs to start the day with.
To make pumpkin pecan muffins gluten free
Simply replace regular flour with Cup4Cup gluten free flour.
To make them dairy free
I often replace regular butter in the topping with dairy free butter (such as Earth Balance).
To make pumpkin muffins nut free
You can always remove pecans and replace them with equal quantity of cranberries or different dried fruit.
More festive dessert recipes
If you are looking for more holiday season dessert recipes, don’t miss these:
- Pumpkin Souffle with Pecans and Coconut Chips
- German Peach Kuchen Cake with Almond Streusel
- Chocolate Chip Panettone Bread Pudding with Bourbon Butter Sauce
Pumpkin Pecan Muffins with Cinnamon Sugar Crumble Topping
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Liquid Ingredients:
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup of canned pumpkin, or homemade pumpkin puree
- ½ cup vegetable oil, (such as canola oil)
Topping:
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅓ cup butter, softened
- ⅓ cup flour
- Confectionary sugar, (optional, for decoration)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line muffin cups with paper liners.
Batter:
- In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients together: flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, pecans and brown sugar.
- In another bowl, prepare liquid mixture by whisking eggs together until the yolks and whites are blended. Then add vanilla, oil and pumpkin puree.
- Add the liquid mixture from step 3 to the dry ingredients mixture in step 2. Mix well with a wooden spoon.
- Prepare muffin pan by spraying it with oil, or use butter. You can also use cupcake liners instead. Use a large spoon or an ice cream scoop to fill each muffin cup completely full, if you want them to have the same mushroom top as the ones in my pictures. Otherwise, fill them ⅔ full for a normal looking muffin:).
Topping:
- Prepare the topping for the muffins by mixing pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon, flour together. Then add softened butter by cutting it into the dry ingredients with the fork until you have a good crumble topping. Sprinkle this mixture over muffins.
- Using a spoon, spread the topping evenly over each muffin.
Bake:
- Bake until the muffins are springy to the touch and toothpick comes out clean, for 25 to 35 minutes. Start checking with the toothpick at 25 minutes.
- Allow them to cool for 10 minutes, then turn out onto rack to cool completely. Please keep in mind that the larger the muffin cups, the longer it will take to bake them.
- Sprinkle with confectionary sugar (optional).
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only. This information comes from online calculators. Although whatsinthepan.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
Video
Notes
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Julie here ,
I too added a 1/4 C flour to the topping and a 1/4tsp pumpkin pie spice. I must say I am a quick baker, and set out all ingredients ahead of time, but it still took me 34 minutes to measure, mix, and then do the topping.
Julie, thank you for the feedback! I will update the total time.
I made these today and they are ok but they fell apart too much. I will double the spice next time in the cake recipe to add more flavor.
Oh no! You could reduce the pumpkin puree to make them more dense.
Just made these muffins for the first time. They are fantastic! A new favorite. I LOVE the inclusion of chopped pecans in the muffin for some wonderful texture.
Thank you, Diane, and enjoy!!!
I’ve made these twice in the last week, they are truly the best pumpkin muffins I’ve EVER had. I added 1/4 tsp of pumpkin pie spice to the muffin mix, a bit of extra flour in the crumble so it wasn’t so wet. Baked 33 mins.
I am soooo glad the muffins made to your table twice in one week!
These are the best! I used less white sugar, 1/2 whole wheat flour, and added walnuts and chocolate chips! Topped with chopped walnuts and raw sugar instead of struesel!! So good!!
I am all for LESS sugar! I bet it did not make a difference!
Can you make into mini bread loaves?
Yes! Absolutely
Made these using Kodiak protein mix instead of flour. They have great flavor! I filled my jumbo pan 3/4 full, sprinkled the topping on & baked them for 30 minutes. The only tweak I would make is to press the topping into the muffin mix before baking. Mine became like a shell that cracked off when they were cooked enough to transfer to wire.
Thank you for the tip about pressing the topping into the muffin mix! I love the shell analogy, Ashley!