Apple and Pumpkin Spice Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel

Cinnamon and cloves together with a dash or two of freshly grated nutmeg dance with apples wrapped inside a tender pumpkin muffin. Finish with a cinnamon streusel sprinkled across the top and it’s the perfect way to wrap yourself in fall!

With the exception of the holidays, fall is my favorite time to be in the kitchen. The flavors are rich and bold, the scents are intoxicating and full of spice. Apples and pumpkin epitomize fall. Blended together they celebrate the best of one another, with neither overshadowing the other. Cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg offer the right touch of spice, enhancing these two fall favorites.

These muffins are a fun twist on a traditional pumpkin bread and are so simple to make. Pumpkin purée is blended with eggs for richness, spiced with cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg and a touch of pure vanilla extract to deepen those fall notes. Then bits of apple and toasted pecans are stirred into the mix.

A bit of whisking, a little stirring and these gorgeous muffins are ready to be topped with a buttery cinnamon streusel topping.

They come out of your oven fragrant, tender and subtly sweet. Pour up a cup of coffee and settle in with a warm bite of apples and savory pumpkin. Fall has arrived!

Apple and Pumpkin Spice Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel

For the streusel topping:

1 tablespoon butter, softened at room temperature for about 30 minutes

¼ cup dark brown sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons flour

For the muffins:

1 cup pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling), about half of a 15-ounce can

2 extra-large eggs

½ cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2-½ cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon cloves

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 cups chopped apples, about 1-½ to 2 apples peeled and cored

½ cup toasted chopped pecans

To make the streusel topping:

Using a fork or pastry cutter, blend the butter together with the brown sugar, cinnamon and the flour. The topping will be crumbly. Set aside while you mix the batter for the muffins.

To make the muffins:

Preheat the oven to 350-degrees. In a large bowl whisk together the pumpkin purée with the eggs, vegetable oil, and the vanilla extract.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, kosher salt, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, whisking until well blended.

Add the flour and spice mixture to the pumpkin, stirring just until the flour disappears.

Stir in the chopped apples and the toasted pecans.

Line 20 muffin cups with parchment paper liners. Fill about ¾ full and sprinkle the streusel topping across the tops.

Bake in a 350-degree oven for 25 to 28 minutes or until the muffins test done with a toothpick inserted in the center. Cool for about 3 to 4 minutes then transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 20 muffins.

Some notes on products we love:

Nielsen-Massey pure extracts and flavorings are always in our pantry, the quality never disappoints! https://amzn.to/3B1eDOH

King Arthur Flour is our “go to”. We discovered it years ago and have never looked back. https://amzn.to/3XOjITm

For baking muffins, we love Paper Chef parchment paper baking cups. They come in an assortment of sizes – for this recipe we use the large liners https://amzn.to/4erlL5p

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