Pumpkin-Apple Streusel Muffins
Tuesday, November 9, 2010 at 3:54PM 
I’ve been married to Mark for close to 40 years now, and just when you think you really know a person, he says something like “maybe too much streusel”, which was followed by this eerie silence. Shock. Disbelief. Heartbreak. Really? Too much streusel? In his defense, he really loved the muffins, but it seems the streusel was distracting. Too sweet. Kind of hard to eat. Something like that. Sigh.
Being married for, like, ever doesn’t mean you agree on everything, and I don’t think he was actually saying he didn’t like streusel in general, but just not on this muffin. And, again, I have to say he has a point... the muffin itself really is the star here... one of the best I've ever had, actually.
But I do love streusel on just about anything, anytime, anywhere, so imagine my joy upon the discovery of this wondrous little pumpkin muffin that wants to be topped with a crispy, sweet, crumbly, crunchy streusel topping. It was definitely love at first bite. The muffin itself is a joyous combination of moist pumpkin, little bites of apple, I threw in some raisins, and yes, that streusel. Muffin love, I tell you.
The second time I brought out the muffins, I dusted off the streusel topping for him and served it naked. Not me, the muffin. Geeez. He loved it. So I guess the next time I make these (and, yes, there WILL be a next time), I’m going to have to make half without the streusel. The other half will get double.
Pumpkin-Apple Streusel Muffins
For a printable recipe, click here
For topping:
2Tbs all-purpose flour
10 Tbs sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbs unsalted butter, softened
For muffins:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used white whole wheat flour)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1 1/4 cups of canned solid-pack pumpkin
3 oz vegetable oil
1 1/8 cups sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 golden delicious apple, peeled, cored, and chopped into small-ish pieces (1 cup)
1 cup raisins
Blend together flour, sugar, cinnamon, and butter in a small bowl with your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal.
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease muffin pan with cooking spray.
Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice into a medium bowl.
Whisk together pumpkin, oil, sugar, and eggs in a large bowl. Add flour mixture, stirring until well combined. Fold in apples and the raisins.
Fill muffin tins with batter and sprinkle with topping mix.
Bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of muffin comes out clean, about 20 minutes.
Reader Comments (19)
lol @ hubby's comment.....its amazing how newly marrieds and long time marrieds go though same issues? i've been married 3 years and my hubby thinks i make too much chocolate cakes. =D i love your streusels and they look divine
Thanks, Tamanna. Can there be too many chocolate cakes?!? Ah, vive la difference, no? Thanks for stopping by. Nice to hear from you.
You should try whole wheat pastry flour in a recipe like this. Behaves like all-purpose but more nutritious.
This muffin was really, really good with the streusel, however when you told me that you would serve it naked, without a doubt I chose that option.
Count me in for the double streusel! I'm sure if you served it naked, he'd love that too. I just put a sour cream apple pie in the oven and find myself with extra filling. I find that I am most creative when I try not to waste food and come up with ways to use up the extra. I'll try this recipe substituting some ingredients with my filling...I just hope I don't butcher it too much!
Hazel @ TastyPursuits.com
Matt, I actually used white whole wheat flour, which I do in most muffin and quick bread recipes. The texture was wonderful. But I forgot to note that in the recipe, so thanks for bringing that up.
Hazel, it's a very forgiving recipe, so I encourage you to make it your own. I'd love it if your reported back on the outcome of your substitutions. Hmmmm... guess I better give some thought to this whole naked serving thing, huh?
My college freshman daughter emailed me this recipe this morning with the note "these sound good; you should make these mom!" Well I just took a double batch out the oven and tried one. They are wonderful! I didn't use all of the streusel topping because I didn't want them to be too sweet. I am also trying to help the girls keep off the dreaded "freshman fifteen" but these muffins were sweet enough with less than the whole recipe of streusel. A dozen of these are going to the dorm tonight for my daughter and her two roommates and I am looking forward to their reactions to them. Thanks for a great recipe and for the opportunity to send a bit of "home" to my daughter and her roomies.
Oh, I so remember those days of sending treats to my daughters in college, and how wonderful that you sent them these muffins. We do love them, and even with just a little streusel, these are so good. Hope you get good reviews from the girls! Thanks for letting us know, Vickie.
I'll take the streusel muffins myself. Yum!
And didn't you put up a new picture? Nice...You must have married quite young my dear. Seriously? 40 years?
Well, now aren't you the sweetest, Paula. Yes, I did put up new photo a month or two ago, and I was a tad young when I married... 19 to be exact. Thanks for the nice comment!
These muffins look fantastic! I am going to try them this week. This is my first visit to your site and it won't be the last! Thanks for the great recipe.
So nice to hear from you Marcia, and welcome! So glad you found us and hope you visit often! Enjoy the muffins!
Could you substitute applesauce for the oil?
You could most definitely substitute applesauce for the oil, Mic. And if you use a chunky applesauce, you won't need to add the chopped apple to the batter! I've done that and they were great!
I made these muffins for my husband today since is his birthday ! They turned out amazing! I did make a couple of changes, I used 3/4 cup all purpose flour and 3/4 cup whole wheat flour, and no raisins since my husband doesn't care for them. Also, I made different streusel topping. I used 2 T flour, 2T oatmeal, 2T pecans , 5T brown sugar and 2 T butter. I tried to help them a little more healthier with canola oil. I will definitely make them again.
That sounds so great, Sharon! I love the changes you made... I hope everyone who reads the post will also take note of your version. Thanks for letting us know!
A friend of mine made these for our book club. I loved them so much that I got the ingredients today and will be making them this Sunday when we have friends over to watch some football! I love a good, creative, muffin recipe! This one is definitely a crowd pleaser and the topping is mouth waveringly good. I loved how moist the muffin was, which I'm sure has to do with the pumpkin and of course the apples and raisins. I love anything with chunks of apples in it!
So glad you liked these, Samantha. We love 'em too. And this is the time of year when these muffins just seem to hit the spot! Nice to hear from you!