Glorious Pumpkin Muffins

Sometimes, a dish astounds me. Like, I can't even believe for one second that I made something that tastes so fantastic.

That was my reaction to these Pumpkin Muffins with Brown Sugar Streusel. They are an absolute MUST for your fall baking.

I found the recipe thanks to Pinterest. It's from a great site called Dinner at the Zoo.

I followed the recipe very accurately, but I did bake them exactly three minutes longer than the recipe called for. When I did the toothpick test, it was obvi they were not fully cooked. Three more minutes did the trick. A large cookie dough scooper works perfectly to distribute the batter into each muffin tin. I opted to line the muffin tin with paper liners rather than using cooking spray. The muffins came out nice and easy.

I let the muffins cool for a good hour or so before finishing with the glaze.

These treats taste like they came from the fanciest of posh bakeries. But YOU can make them! Yay!

Pumpkin Muffins with Brown Sugar Streusel

From dinneratthezoo.com

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients

For the muffins:

2 eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup pumpkin puree

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. salt

Cooking spray

For the streusel:

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/2 cup butter melted

For the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp. heavy cream or milk

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions

For the muffins:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray or use paper liners.

2. Place the eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree and oil in a bowl. Whisk until smooth.

3. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract and salt to the bowl. Stir until just combined.

4. Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups.

For the streusel:

1. Place the flour, brown sugar, melted butter and pumpkin pie spice in a medium sized bowl. Mix until thoroughly combined and coarse crumbs form.

2. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the muffins.

3. Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

4. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the glaze:

1. Whisk together the powdered sugar, cream and vanilla extract. Drizzle over the cooled muffins.

2. Serve or store the muffins in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

You are My Obsession

So, the final weeks of pregnancy can really bring out the OCD qualities in a gal.

The thing that’s making me extremely loco is that I stopped teaching the last week in October. Up until this point, I could focus on mentoring my budding maestros and worry if they’re practicing enough.

Consequently, for the past eight days all I can think about is the bun in the oven.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve filled up my hours with activities. But there’s only so much compulsive cleaning, organizing, early Christmas shopping and Suduko puzzle solving a girl can do. I’ve also been working diligently on two Mozart sonatas and cooking up a storm. Meanwhile, I over analyze every twinge and pang that takes over my achy bod by referring to books, Web sites, sisters, friends in the hopes that they will confirm that I am finally entering a major stage of labor.

And yesterday, I had The Husband take me to lunch and DSW, where I bought a fierce pair of flat boots that I will be rocking post-baby.

(Listen, my fashion is ALWAYS a priority, no matter how prego I am. And in a bit of divine intervention, my feet did not swell at all during my nine months. Yay!)

I’m well aware that the lesson learned here is: Good things come to those who wait. And we are over the moon that the Jersey Baby is thisclose to being here. But, he’s officially past his due date, which is today. Doesn’t he know that his Mom and Pop are two journalists. The Deadline is not to be toyed with.

Kidding.

Today, I’m sharing with you a delish chocolate muffin recipe courtesy of Anne Byrn, aka the Cake Mix Doctor.

These are called Triple-Chocolate To-Live-For Muffins.

They are super fabulous. They are great for bake sales because they pack up well. There’s no frosting involved. So, they are also your kind of treat if sweet, sugary icing is not your thang.

I made them to thank a friend for a favor. And, there were some left over for The Husband and moi.

So, back to the Cake Mix Doctor.

I dig this broad. Sure, she’s all about the boxed cake mix. But, I must admit, every thing I make from her cookbooks rocks. Her philosophy is: Take a cake mix, doctor it up with some fabulous baking ingredients, make a from-scratch frosting and the result is perfection on a cake stand.

If you’re a beginning baker, I highly recommend Anne Byrn’s books. She offers lots of tips on how to get the best cake performance. And she has tons of yum yum frosting recipes.

You can check out her Web site, by clicking here.

Triple-Chocolate To-Live-For Muffins
From “Chocolate from the Cake Mix Doctor”
By Anne Byrn


Makes 24 muffins (2 ½ inches each)

24 paper liners for muffin pans (2 1/2 –inch size)
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain devil’s food cake mix
1 package (3.9 ounces) chocolate instant pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
½ cup water
½ cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting (optional)

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. Set the pans aside.

Place the cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, water, oil and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look thick and well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips, making sure they are well distributed throughout the batter. Spoon the batter into the lined muffin cups, filling each liner three quarters of the way full. Place the pans in the oven.

Bake the muffins until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 23 to 27 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes.

Run a dinner knife around the edges of the muffin liners, lift the muffins up from the bottom of the pan using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your fingertips. Place them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes, before serving. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, if desired.

*Store the muffins, wrapped in aluminum foil or plastic wrap, or in a cake saver, at room temperature for up to 1 week. Or freeze them, wrapped in foil, for up to 6 months. Thaw muffins overnight on the counter before serving.

Something Savory

When I popped these babies out of the oven, it was clear that they were made of awesomeness.

My Onion and Shallot Muffins accompanied a summer salad that I rocked out for dinner, but I envision me and The Husband enjoying them with a wonderful, warm chowder or soup when the weather gets chilly willy.

I love the fall. I can’t wait to cook for the fall. Yes, I’m crazy like that.

So, the recipe comes from “The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book.” If you love to bake, I so highly recommend it. The pictures are gorgeous, and all the recipes I’ve made so far are fab.

The key to successful muffin making is to not overmix. You don’t need to touch your KitchenAid mixer or hand-held beaters. All you need is a wooden spoon, and a light touch. As soon as the wet ingredients moisten the dry ingredients, you are finito.

Onion and Shallot Muffins
From the “Williams-Sonoma Baking Book”
Makes 11 muffins

5 Tbsp. (3 fl. oz/80 mil) olive oil
¼ cup (1 ½ oz/45 g) finely chopped red onion
1 medium to large shallot, minced
3 cups (15 oz/ 470 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
1 1/3 cups (5 ½ oz/170 g) grated Jarlsberg or Swiss cheese
3 Tbsp. minced fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
4 tsp. baking powder
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. crumbled dried oregano or marjoram
½ tsp. celery seed
2 large eggs
1 cup (8 fl oz/250 ml) milk

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius). Grease 11 standard muffin cups with butter or butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray; fill the unused cup one-third full with water to prevent warping.

In a frying pan over medium heat, heat 3 Tbsp. of the oil. Add the onion and shallot and sauté until translucent, 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.

In a bowl, stir together the flour, 1 cup (4 oz/125 g) of the cheese, the parsley, baking powder, salt, oregano and celery seed.

In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, remaining 2 Tbsp. oil and milk until blended. Add the cooled onions, along with any oil left in the pan. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and stir in the onion mixture just until evenly moistened. The batter will be slightly lumpy.

Spoon the batter into each muffin cup, filling it level with the rim. Sprinkle each muffin with some of the remaining 1/3 cup (1 ½ oz/45 g) cheese.

Bake the muffins until golden, dry and springy to the touch, 25-30 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin should come out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the muffins cool for 5 minutes. Unmold the muffins. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Please note: The Jersey Girl bakes with extra large eggs.