Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Muffins

 Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Muffins

From the kitchen of Ellen, thanks to Bake from Scratch  

Note:  Batter may be made day before and refrigerated, covered, and streusel may be frozen until ready to use.  I like this mix now bake later method, as you can serve them easily straight off the cooling rack, so streusel is crisp, with innards soft.  Delicious!

Ingredients for muffins:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup milk, room temperature
• 3 large eggs, room temperature

Ingredients for streusel:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 cup cold unsalted sugar, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

In:

• medium bowl, whisk flour, sugars, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg.

In:

• large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, oil, milk, and eggs.  Gradually add flour mixture, folding until combined.  Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 30 minutes at room temp, or cover and refrigerate for tomorrow.

Preheat:

• oven to 375 degrees.  Spray muffin pan with Pam (use every other well to keep muffins from touching while baking, or if don't care, every well is fine).

Make streusel:

• in large bowl, stir flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt.  Using pastry blender or two forks, cut in cold butter until butter is pea-size or smaller.  Pinch and rub pieces of butter into dry ingredients with fingertips until mixture comes together and resembles wet sand.  Freeze for 20 minutes or until ready to use.  

Spoon:

• batter into muffin pan, filling wells to brims.  Sprinkle Streusel on top of batter so batter completely covered.  

Bake:

• for 10 minutes; reduce oven to 350, and bake about 12 minutes more, until toothpick test comes out clean.  Let cool in pans for 15 minutes.  Remove from pans, and cool in wire rack.