Spiced Pumpkin Muffins with Pecans

Name: Spiced Pumpkin Muffins with Pecans
Cook time: 22 min
Yield: 10 servings
Ingredients: 90 g pecans chopped; 10 g unsalted butter for greasing the skillet if needed when toasting pecans; 240 g all-purpose flour sifted; 8 g baking powder; 3 g baking soda; 3 g fine salt; 5 g ground cinnamon; 2 g ground ginger; 1 g ground nutmeg; 0.5 g ground cloves; 150 g light brown sugar packed; 50 g granulated sugar; 2 count large eggs room temperature; 250 g pumpkin puree canned or homemade, unsweetened; 80 ml neutral oil; 60 ml whole milk room temperature; 5 ml vanilla extract; 20 g coarse sugar for topping

These muffins bake into a moist, lightly domed crumb with warm fall spices and pecan crunch throughout. The batter is mixed in one bowl, portioned into a muffin tin, and finished with a coarse sugar top for a crisp surface.

By Julienne

Cook time: 22 minutes

Servings: 10

Ingredients

90 g pecans chopped
10 g unsalted butter for greasing the skillet if needed when toasting pecans
240 g all-purpose flour sifted
8 g baking powder
3 g baking soda
3 g fine salt
5 g ground cinnamon
2 g ground ginger
1 g ground nutmeg
0.5 g ground cloves
150 g light brown sugar packed
50 g granulated sugar
2 count large eggs room temperature
250 g pumpkin puree canned or homemade, unsweetened
80 ml neutral oil
60 ml whole milk room temperature
5 ml vanilla extract
20 g coarse sugar for topping

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 190°C. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. If your muffin pan is dark metal, reduce the oven to 185°C to limit overbrowning. The oven is fully preheated and the muffin tin is lined.
Toast the pecans in a small skillet over medium heat, using 10 g butter only if needed to prevent sticking. Stir often until fragrant and lightly darkened, 4 to 5 minutes, then cool and chop if not already chopped. The pecans smell nutty and have a slightly deeper color but are not burnt.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves until evenly combined. No streaks of spice or leavening remain.
In a large bowl, whisk the brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, pumpkin puree, oil, milk, and vanilla until smooth and glossy. The mixture looks uniform and slightly thickened.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and fold just until no dry flour remains. Fold in 70 g of the toasted pecans, reserving the remaining 20 g for topping. The batter is thick, evenly mixed, and still a little lumpy rather than overworked.
Divide the batter evenly among the 10 planned muffins, filling each liner about three-quarters full. Sprinkle the reserved 20 g pecans over the tops, and add the coarse sugar if using. Each cup is evenly filled and the tops are visibly dotted with pecans.
Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until the tops are domed and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, not wet batter. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. The muffins spring back lightly when touched and release cleanly from the liners.