Festival Pumpkin Apple Muffins

Two fall heroes in one muffin tin. The pumpkin puree keeps the crumb tender and moist for days. The chopped fresh apple gives little sweet-tart pockets that contrast the warm spice.

Use canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling is pre-sweetened and pre-spiced, and it’ll throw off the entire batter. The label needs to read 100% pumpkin and nothing else.

Chop the apples small, around quarter-inch dice. Bigger chunks sink to the bottom of the muffins and create wet pockets that won’t bake through. A firm tart variety like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp holds shape best.

The streusel topping is what turns these from a basic muffin into something special. Cut the cold butter into the flour, sugar, and cinnamon until you get pea-sized crumbs, then sprinkle generously. As the muffins bake the butter melts down into the top of the batter, sealing in moisture and creating a sugary crust.

Bake until a toothpick comes out clean. Test in the center muffin, the outer ones cook faster. Pulling them too early means a gummy center.

Pro Tips

• If you’re out of pumpkin pie spice, sub 1½ teaspoons cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ½ teaspoon ground cloves, and ½ teaspoon allspice as the directions note.
• Don’t overmix once the apples go in. A few streaks of flour are fine. Overmixed batter equals tough, peaked muffins.
• Cool in the pan only 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack. Left longer in a hot pan, the bottoms steam and get soggy.
• Freeze well. Wrap individually and reheat in a toaster oven for 10 minutes from frozen.

Variations

• Add ¾ cup chopped toasted pecans to the streusel for crunch.
• Stir ½ cup raisins or dried cranberries into the batter with the apples.
• Drizzle a simple maple glaze over cooled muffins for a doughnut-shop finish.