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Wholesome Brown Butter Pumpkin Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel

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These wholesome pumpkin muffins feature nutty brown butter and a crunchy cinnamon streusel topping. Made with whole wheat pastry flour and applesauce, they’re a healthier treat that doesn’t skimp on flavor.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 ¾ cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup unsalted butter (for browning)
  • ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree (100% pure pumpkin)
  • ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup milk (any kind)
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour (for streusel)
  • ¼ cup packed light brown sugar (for streusel)
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (for streusel)
  • 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes (for streusel)
  • ¼ cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional, for streusel)

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line your muffin tin with paper liners or spray generously with non-stick spray. Set aside.
  2. Brown the butter. Place the ½ cup of unsalted butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally with a rubber spatula. The butter will melt, foam, and then start to turn golden. Watch for little brown specks forming at the bottom—that’s the milk solids toasting. Once it smells nutty and has a deep amber color (about 5-7 minutes), remove it from the heat immediately. Pour it into a heatproof bowl to stop the cooking process. Let it cool for 10 minutes.
  3. Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the whole wheat pastry flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
  4. Mix the wet ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cooled brown butter and brown sugar until well combined. It should look like wet sand. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each. Then add the pumpkin puree, applesauce, vanilla extract, and milk. Whisk until smooth and glossy.
  5. Combine wet and dry. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to fold everything together gently. Don’t overmix—stop as soon as you no longer see streaks of flour. A few lumps are totally fine.
  6. Make the streusel. In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add the cold butter cubes. Use a pastry cutter or your fingers to work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. If using nuts, stir them in now. Pop the streusel in the fridge while you fill the muffin tin.
  7. Fill the muffin cups. Use an ice cream scoop or a large spoon to divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups. Fill each about ¾ full.
  8. Top with streusel. Sprinkle the streusel generously over each muffin. Press it down lightly so it sticks.
  9. Bake. Place the muffin tin on the middle rack of your preheated oven. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. The tops should be golden and the streusel should be bubbly and crisp.
  10. Cool. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

For best results, use room temperature eggs and cold butter for the streusel. Brown butter can burn quickly, so watch it carefully. Muffins taste even better the next day. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Keywords: pumpkin muffins, brown butter, cinnamon streusel, healthy muffins, fall baking, whole wheat muffins

Find it online: https://cookluma.com/wholesome-brown-butter-pumpkin-muffins-with-cinnamon-streusel/