A Pumpkin Variety Pack!

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November 2, 2010 by buttermilkbaker

Hello again. I’m sorry I was away for so long. Things got a little busy, and I got a little neglectful. I apologize.

I do, however, have something today that I think will make you happy. It involves pumpkin…and Nutella…and chocolate chips…and pecan streusel. Have I got your attention yet?

Yup, you guessed it, I made what I’m calling a “Pumpkin Muffin Variety Pack”. With all of the wonderful pumpkin recipes floating around out there these days, I couldn’t possibly choose just one. That would be ridiculous. No, no. Today? Today I made five.

Okay don’t get soooo excited. I didn’t make 30 muffins. I’m not insane. I ended up making a total of 8 muffins (there are only three of us here!), but 5 different kinds.

Some might call me creative. That’s not for me to say.

So I have to give credit where credit is due. I was first inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Two Peas and Their Pod. They make such beautiful (and delicious) food, I always find myself salivating when I’m over there. One of their particularly drool-worthy treats is their Pumpkin Nutella Bread, which you see in muffin form in the bottom left-hand corner of the muffin tin above. I used the same pumpkin base for all of the muffins, putting the following spins on the other 7:

1. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip (x2)
2. Pumpkin with Pecan Streusel (x2)
3. Plain Ole Punkin’ (x2)
4. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip & Pecan Streusel (x1–so naughty!)

Let’s get to baking, shall we?

The major players: light brown sugar, granulated sugar (not pictured), white whole wheat flour, vegetable oil, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla extract, salt, egg, baking soda, and of course, PUMPKIN. (Nutella also pictured, such a show-off.) Don’t worry about amounts just yet, the full recipe can be found at the bottom of this post.

First, mix the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.

Then come the wet ingredients.

Oh hello.

You’re pretty, aren’t you?

Mix those in a large bowl.

Slowly fold the dry ingredients into the wet.

Taaa-daaa! Ripe and ready for our toppings: pecans, dark chocolate chips, and of course, Nutella.

I love you, Nutella.

Here we go…

Boom.

Mmmm…swirly.

Where was I?

Ah yes, pecan streusel.

In the mix: pecans, brown sugar, butter (substitute), and lots o’ cinnamon. Thrown in the food processor for a few good pulses…

Done! Yes, it’s that easy.

After pouring the first 5 muffins into the tin and touching up the Nutella beauty, I added the chocolate chips to the remaining batter and poured the final 3. (Not all pictured here.) Then I sprinkled about a tablespoon of the streusel over the chosen ones and popped these babies in the oven!

Oh yes. Oh yes yes yes.

I let them cool for a bit (i.e. about 30 seconds) and put them on a plate for obsessive photographing. Feast your eyes.

Man I can’t wait to eat you.

What’s that? Oh, you want the recipe? Fine, fine, here you go:

Pumpkin Muffin Variety Pack (adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod)

Yield: 8 medium sized muffins, Prep time: 25 mins, Cook time: 15 mins

For muffins:

3/4 cup + 1/8 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Heaping 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 cup granulated sugar (I subbed 1/4 of this with light brown sugar)
1/4 cup canola oil
1/6 cup water
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 egg
Heaping 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For pecan streusel:

1/4 cup crushed pecans
1/2 tablespoon butter (I used Smart Balance Light)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Other mix-ins:

Chocolate chips (I used dark, but you could use milk, white, or even cinnamon!)
Walnuts
Craisins

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray muffin tins with cooking spray. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, water, pumpkin, eggs, and extracts. Whisk until smooth and combined.

4. Slowly stir in the flour mixture. Mix until ingredients are combined. (Here’s where you can add in any extras you want. For variety pack, make sure to pour any plain ones before adding these.)

5. Pour the batter into the muffin tins, making sure batter is evenly divided.

6. For Nutella muffins, drop a healthy tablespoon in the center of the batter. Swirl with spoon or knife until marbled.

7. For pecan streusel, add pecans, butter, cinnamon and brown sugar to food processor. Pulse several times until mixed and about the size of pebbles. Sprinkle desired amount atop muffins, avoiding the edges (this makes it difficult to get muffins out of the tin).

8. Place the muffin tins in the oven. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

9. Enjoy!