Pumpkin-Apple Streusel Muffins

I’ve just eaten one warm from the oven..I was patient just long enough to photograph them and then I HAD to have one. Oh,Boy, are they good! Fall spices, apple and pumpkin married together, not too sweet, a tender crumb, and a crunchy crumb topping. What else could you do to these to make them any better? I think these are perfect anytime you want to have one. At breakfast with coffee? Mid-morning coffee break? For Lunch with yogurt or cottage cheese perhaps? For dessert after dinner—as I said, anytime at all. You must make these now, before there’s no more pumpkin left on the store shelves. You’ll be sorry if you don’t.
The recipe makes a batch of 18 muffins. I thought that was a lot for just two of us, so I made half a recipe and got nine muffins. Now I wish I had made the whole thing and froze some. Guess I’ll just have to make more to have on hand for Thanksgiving morning.

PUMPKIN-APPLE STREUSEL MUFFINS

YIELD 18 MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour ( I used half white flour and half whole wheat)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups apple finely chopped

STREUSEL TOPPING

2 Tablespoons flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
4 teaspoons butter

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 18 muffin cups, or line with paper liners.

2. Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl. ( flour through salt)

Dry ingredients.

3. Mix wet ingredients together in a medium bowl. ( eggs, oil and pumpkin puree)

Wet ingredients.

4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix just to moisten. Fold in apples.

Mix everything together. Fold in chopped apple.

5. Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full.

6. Mix together the streusel ingredients to form coarse crumbs, and sprinkle on batter. Pat lightly to adhere.

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 – 40 minutes. Test for doneness with a toothpick. Cool slightly in pans and then transfer to cooling racks to cool completely. Ha! if you can wait that long!