Crunchy Pumpkin Muffins

Again with the pumpkin?

Yes.

It’s rainy and cold and my coffeemaker had an early morning meeting, so I might be swinging through Starbucks for a Pumpkin Spice Latte on my way to storytime this morning to go with my muffin.

I make a plain pumpkin muffin for my kids that they love, but this week I am making muffins for an event and I wanted something with more texture, so I’ve been perfecting a new recipe.

The result is a hearty, perfect-for-a-cold-morning muffin.  They are packed with yummy little surprises, a crunch in every bite.

If you’re getting ready to have company for Thanksgiving, you can make muffin batter ahead of time, later scooping out the deliciousness into muffin papers just as you need it.

Enjoy!

Crunchy Pumpkin Muffins

3 cups whole wheat white flour (or a combination of wheat and white flours)

½ cup oats

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 15 oz can pure pumpkin (about 1 ¾ cups)

1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk

4 large eggs

2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Mix ins:

(Use whatever you like, golden raisins, cranberries and even chocolate chips are possibilities.  This is just the combination I have found that I like.)

3 tablespoon pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

3/4 cup chopped pecans

½ cup coconut

1/4 cup candied ginger, finely chopped

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon oats

Directions:

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, oats, spices and salt in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together butter, brown sugar, pumpkin, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

Toss together your mix-ins.  Reserve 1/3 cup of the mix ins and add the tablespoon of brown sugar and the tablespoon of oats to the reserved portion.  Fold the rest into the muffin batter.

Divide batter among muffin cups and sprinkle tops with reserved mix ins.

Bake at 400°F  until a wooden pick comes out clean, about 20 minutes.