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
Equipment
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
- confectioners 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 2 to the dry ingredients mixture in step 1. 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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Would shredded carrots work instead of pumpkin?
Unfortunately not – shredded carrots would lack moisture of pumpkin.
Do I chop the cranberries or leave them whole when substituting them for the pecans?
I leave them whole.
Can this be made into one big loaf? How long would i bake it for?
I would bake it for slightly extended period of time, but it can definitely be done
I made these today and we a Hugh hit with my family, thanks for sharing
In step 3. It should read add the liquid ingredients from step 1 to step 2.
Just sayin’
Wonderful recipe!
Can these be made ahead of time and be frozen? Trying to plan ahead for thanksgiving. Sound delicious cannot wait to try them
Yes! I freeze muffins all the time – just cool them off and pack a couple in each ziplock bag or in one large ziplock bag if defrosting them for a large company and not individually.
I made these last week and I’m getting ready to make again. This time I’m going to add raisins. Delicious!
Raisins do sound great in these pumpkin muffins! Let me know how you like them with raisins.
The muffins turned out to be moist and we ate them all within a couple of days!
DELICIOUS!!! I’m not a “cake” lover, but my husband saw the photo of these muffins and asked for them. Made exact recipe and I will say they were the best cupcakes I/we have ever had. I think it was the consistency, density that I liked and the flavor and topping were over the top!
Wonderful report Sandy! I am glad you liked the density!