Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Name: Pumpkin Spice Muffins
Prep time: 19 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 39 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, spooned into the cup and leveled; 2 teaspoons (9 g) baking powder; ½ teaspoon (3 g) baking soda; ½ teaspoon (3 g) fine salt; 2 teaspoons (5 g) pumpkin pie spice; ¾ cup (165 g) light brown sugar, firmly packed, any lumps broken up; ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar; 2 whole (100 g) large eggs, at room temperature; 1 cup (225 g) plain pumpkin puree, canned or homemade, not pie filling; ½ cup (120 ml) neutral oil (canola, vegetable or avocado); ¼ cup (60 ml) whole milk, at room temperature; 2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract; 2 tablespoons (25 g) turbinado or coarse sugar; ¼ teaspoon (0.6 g) pumpkin pie spice, mixed into the coarse sugar (optional)

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Tender, moist bakery-style muffins with tall sugar-crunch tops, packed with pumpkin and warm fall spice. One bowl of dry, one of wet, and no mixer needed.

Prep: 19 min
Cook: 20 min
Wait: 25 min
Total: 1 hr 4 min
Makes: 12 standard muffins

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Ingredients

12 servings

For the muffins
2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, spooned into the cup and leveled
2 teaspoons (9 g) baking powder
½ teaspoon (3 g) baking soda
½ teaspoon (3 g) fine salt
2 teaspoons (5 g) pumpkin pie spice
¾ cup (165 g) light brown sugar, firmly packed, any lumps broken up
¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
2 whole (100 g) large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (225 g) plain pumpkin puree, canned or homemade, not pie filling
½ cup (120 ml) neutral oil (canola, vegetable or avocado)
¼ cup (60 ml) whole milk, at room temperature
2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
For the topping
2 tablespoons (25 g) turbinado or coarse sugar
¼ teaspoon (0.6 g) pumpkin pie spice, mixed into the coarse sugar (optional)

Equipment (8)

12-cup standard muffin pan (each cup about ½ cup / 120 ml)
12 paper or silicone muffin liners
2 large mixing bowls
Whisk
Rubber spatula
¼-cup (60 ml) or large ice cream scoop
Wire cooling rack
Toothpick or cake tester

Steps

Before you start

Take the eggs and milk out of the fridge 30 minutes ahead so they mix smoothly into the batter.
Use plain pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, which is pre-sweetened and spiced and will throw off the recipe.
Position an oven rack in the center and preheat to 425°F (220°C) before you start mixing.
Measure flour by spooning it into the cup and leveling it off, or weigh it, to keep the muffins tender rather than dry.

1
Heat oven, line panOven 425°F / 220°C
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425°F (220°C).
- Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper or silicone liners.
- In a small bowl, stir the turbinado sugar with the optional ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice and set aside for the topping.
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Ready when: Oven is fully preheated and all 12 cups are lined.
Tip: Let the oven preheat fully; the initial blast of heat is what gives the muffins tall domed tops.
2
Whisk dry ingredients
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice for about 30 seconds.
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Ready when: The spice is evenly distributed with no streaks or clumps of leavening.
3
Whisk wet ingredients
- In a second large bowl, whisk the brown sugar, granulated sugar and eggs for about 1 minute until smooth and slightly lightened.
- Whisk in the pumpkin puree, oil, milk and vanilla until the mixture is glossy and completely uniform.
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Ready when: No visible oil slicks or brown sugar lumps; the mixture is a uniform orange-brown.
Tip: Press brown sugar lumps against the bowl with the whisk or your fingers so they don't survive into the muffins.
4
Fold batter together
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients.
- With a rubber spatula, fold gently, scraping the bottom of the bowl, for about 15 to 20 strokes, just until no dry flour remains.
- The batter will be thick and slightly lumpy.
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Ready when: No dry flour streaks remain; a few small lumps are fine.
Tip: Stop mixing as soon as the flour disappears. Overmixing develops gluten and makes muffins tough and tunneled.
5
Rest the batter
- Let the batter sit undisturbed in the bowl for 10 minutes.
- This lets the flour hydrate and the baking powder start working, which helps the muffins rise high with a tender crumb.
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Ready when: Batter looks thicker and holds a soft mound when scooped.
Tip: Use this time to wash up the whisk and bowls.
6
Fill and top
- Scoop the batter into the lined cups using a ¼-cup scoop, filling each almost to the top, about ¾ cup... roughly 5 to 6 tablespoons each.
- Sprinkle the spiced sugar evenly over the tops, about ½ teaspoon per muffin.
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Ready when: Cups are filled to just below the rim, with sugar covering each top.
Tip: Fill the cups nearly full for bakery-style domes; the batter is thick enough that it will not overflow.
7
Bake at high heatOven 425°F / 220°C
- Place the pan in the center of the 425°F (220°C) oven and bake for 5 minutes.
- Do not open the oven door during this time.
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Ready when: Tops have begun to dome and look set at the edges.
Tip: Opening the door lets heat escape and flattens the rise.
8
Lower heat, finish bakingOven 350°F / 175°C
- Without removing the pan, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C).
- Bake for 14 to 16 more minutes.
- Muffins are done when the domes are deep golden, spring back when lightly pressed, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few dry crumbs.
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Ready when: Toothpick comes out clean or with a few dry crumbs; tops spring back when pressed.
Tip: If your oven runs hot or the pan is dark, start checking at 12 minutes.
9
Cool and serve
- Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes so they firm up, then transfer them to a wire rack.
- Cool for at least 10 more minutes before eating, as the crumb sets as it cools.
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Ready when: Muffins are warm rather than hot and lift out of the pan easily.
Tip: Leaving muffins in the hot pan longer than 5 minutes traps steam and makes the bottoms soggy.

Good to know

Tips

For extra texture, fold ¾ cup (90 g) chopped toasted pecans or semisweet chocolate chips into the batter in step 4.
A light scoop with a spring-loaded scoop gives evenly sized muffins that bake at the same rate.
Blot homemade pumpkin puree with paper towels first; watery puree makes dense, gummy muffins.
Rotate the pan only after the first 5 minutes at high heat, and only if your oven bakes unevenly.

Make ahead

"The dry ingredients can be whisked together up to 3 days ahead and stored airtight. The baked muffins keep well, so bake a day ahead and store as directed below."

Storage & reheating

"Room temperature: airtight container lined with a paper towel for up to 3 days. Refrigerator: up to 7 days. Freezer: wrap individually and freeze up to 3 months. Reheat from room temperature for 10 seconds in the microwave, or from frozen for 30 to 40 seconds, or warm in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 8 to 10 minutes."

Substitutions

pumpkin pie spice → 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg and ¼ teaspoon ground cloves. Replaces the 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice in the batter; scale down proportionally for the topping.
neutral oil (canola, vegetable or avocado) → melted unsalted butter or melted coconut oil. Butter gives richer flavor but a slightly less moist crumb that firms up in the fridge.
whole milk → buttermilk, plain yogurt thinned with water, or unsweetened plant milk. Use the same volume; buttermilk gives a slightly tangier, more tender crumb.
light brown sugar → coconut sugar or dark brown sugar. Dark brown sugar adds a deeper molasses flavor; use the same weight.