I look forward to my Muffin Mondays to kick off a chilly winter week. It's a perfect way to take the chill out of the air. It'll inspire you to keep on baking with fresh muffin inspiration. So let's get started—here's my seasonal spin on the average apple muffin - add pumpkin and crumb. My muffins are great to take on the go, too. Enjoy!
Apple Pumpkin Crumb Muffins
recipe by Chef George Hirsch | Makes 18 muffins or one 9 x 13 coffee cake
For the crumb topping:
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup oats, not quick cooking
1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 cup melted butter
Mix all sugars, flour, oats, and nuts. Pour in butter and mix until the topping looks like wet sand. Do not over-mix; the topping should have a lumpy consistency. Reserve crumb topping and prepare the muffin batter.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Lightly grease 18 muffin cups or use paper liners.
For the muffins:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour; or 50/50 whole wheat flour
2 cups pure cane granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ginger
Pinch allspice & fresh grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup applesauce, or vegetable oil
2 cups Green or baking apples, peeled, core, and chopped into small pieces
In a large bowl, add flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, vanilla, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, pumpkin, and oil. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until flour is absorbed. Add chopped apples.
Add batter into prepared muffin cups 3/4 filled. Top each muffin with crumb mixture and bake.
Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
