Nothing screams fall like pumpkin muffins with a sweet cinnamon streusel topping. They’re cozy and wholesome enough to feel good eating for breakfast. Grab one to go as a snack for later or bring dessert for your friends!
It’s a good day to have a good morning.
Starting with breakfast, aka my unquestionably all-time favorite meal. If you follow me on Instagram then this shouldn’t come as a surprise. Yogurt and oatmeal bowls are probably my most photographed foods, although I see no reason to change. After all, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
Occasionally, though, I do switch things up for my morning routine. Savory breakfasts were a big hit while I was doing Whole30 (thoughts on the experience here). Sometimes I make pancake stacks or one big one, and when it’s hot out then smoothies are the obvious choice. See? I do branch out for breakfast once in a while. Now that I’ve proven it, we’re going to go a bit further out on a limb here and introduce…
muffins in the morning.
Suddenly ‘good mornings’ taste like pumpkins and autumn. Two flavors that take society by storm for a few months each year, one of which I was opposed to until recently. Now that I’m on the ‘basic’ bandwagon, we may as well go big or go home.
Frankly I’ll go anywhere the pumpkin streusel muffins are.
I scheduled myself to test out this recipe last this past Thursday (yes, I most certainly do put baking/cooking into my planner alongside homework). Completely by chance, it happened to be National Pumpkin Day! Destiny was clearly on my side, since these are easily the tastiest nibbles of fall I’ve ever made.
It felt like a much more scientifically inclined recipe development session than usual. I broke away from my tendency to put all my eggs in one basket, instead baking a single mini muffin as a first take, followed by two more before it was perfect.
Thinking about it now, all of Thursday was pretty perfect. Because I don’t have class on Fridays, there was nothing pressing that needed to get done. After some light reading assignments, I baked, met a friend for a coffee-and-catch-up date, hit the gym, and make dinner with another friend I haven’t spent time with in a while.
If you’re curious (I know I would be), we made whole wheat vegan mac and cheese. Definitely going to need to write down the measurements and share that recipe, because it was so good. Better because it was shared with a good friend, though.
Making time for socializing hasn’t been easy for me this semester. Juggling all my classes and blogging takes a lot out of me, and by the end of the day I’m exhausted. Thursday reinforced how important it is for me to make that time, to get out of my head for a bit. Despite the years it took, I’ve finally embraced my introvertedness. Now the challenge is preventing myself from burrowing too deep inside that label.
Catching up with those friends felt like walking around all day wrapped in a comfort blanket. Fresh from the oven pumpkin muffins increased that feeling tenfold. Little paper-wrapped bites of cozy warmth to keep in your pocket.
Just be sure to eat it before doing laundry, unless you like reaching into your pocket and pulling out the smashed remnants of has-been muffins. The ghosts of muffins past? Sounds like a horror movie.
These are far from terror-inducing, scout’s honor. In just over half an hour you’ll have a pan sending heavenly scents nestling on friends’ shoulders. Because, of course, you’re going to invite people over to share. Didn’t we just talk conclude that social interactions mixed with muffins are the ultimate comfort blanket?
All you need is a handful of wholesome ingredients, a bowl, and a spoon to lick clean while you watch the batter rise into glorious muffin tops. Am I the only one who does that? Please tell me some of you are that impatient, too.
If you’re not, teach me your ways and help me pass the time until the oven beeps. My fidget levels are rising.
If you try this recipe, I’d love your feedback. Leave a comment below, save it on Pinterest, or tag #lensesandlentils on Instagram to share!
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil
- ¼ cup + 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 1¼ cups pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup milk of choice*
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp EACH salt, cinnamon, ginger
- ¼ tsp EACH nutmeg, allspice
- FOR THE STREUSEL:**
- 2 tbsp whole wheat flour
- ⅓ cup rolled oats
- 1½ tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a muffin tin and set aside.
- Whisk together the oil and syrup. Then add the eggs, milk, vanilla, and pumpkin.
- Once fully combined, slowly mix in the remaining ingredients.
- In a separate bowl, combine all the streusel ingredients.
- Fill each muffin cup about ¾ of the way. Top with streusel.
- Bake for 20-23 minutes. Let cool out of pan.
- Store in an airtight bag/container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for a week. You can also freeze them in an airtight bag.
**The streusel topping is optional, although highly recommended.
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