Pumpkin-Walnut Muffins

These pumpkin cupcakes with crumble topping were my mom's favorite of the three varieties we baked for her school, and I loved them as well! As you can see below, you can add more or less crumble depending on your taste. The crumble and walnuts add an excellent crunch to the muffins, while the pumpkin keeps everything moist and tasty. I love this type of muffin with an extra sweet, tasty crust on the top and a moist, less-sweet interior. The original recipe had almost twice as much sugar in the batter, but we tasted it and thought it was plenty sweet without the extra sugar.

Pumpkin-Walnut Muffins (adapted from Food to Live By)
Makes 18-20 muffins

For the topping:
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
4 T cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

For the muffins:
1-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 T baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1-1/3 cup chopped walnuts
3 large eggs
4 T unsalted butter, melted
2 tsp grated orange zest
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease muffin tins or line with wrappers.
2. Make the topping: Whisk together the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Add the butter and cut in with a pastry blender, two knives, or your fingers until the topping is crumbly and well combined. Set aside.
3. Make the muffins: Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Add walnuts and stir to combine.
4. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, melted butter, orange zest, pumpkin, and sugar. Add to the flour mixture and fold in with a rubber spatula until the ingredients are just combined, being careful not to over mix.
5. Fill the muffin cups almost to the brim. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with about 2 tsp of topping.
6. Bake muffins until golden brown and a tester comes out clean, about 20-30 minutes.

I'm sending this post off to BSI: Pumpkin!