Small-batch Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

These perfectly soft and moist pumpkin streusel muffins are topped with crumbly, crunchy brown sugar streusel and a quick two-ingredient glaze.

Friend, if you’re a fan of muffins, pumpkin, streusel, or all of the above, please make these muffins right now. You’re going to love them so much.

They’re so easy to toss together and bake up with the most beautiful streusel-covered tops. They make your kitchen smell amazing and you’ll feel like a total baking genius when you take your first bite.

This recipe will make eight muffins so there are just enough to share if you really want to or keep them all for yourself if you don’t. 😉

Ingredients

• Baking staples: The bulk of the ingredients for these muffins is baking staples you probably already have in your cupboard: flour, brown and granulated sugars, butter, baking soda, salt, and an egg.
• Pumpkin pie spice: For convenience sake, this recipe calls for pumpkin pie spice, but if you don’t have any, not a problem. Substitute 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger, and a generous pinch of ground cloves or allspice
• Vegetable oil: Using vegetable oil in the muffins (along with the pumpkin puree) helps give these muffins their moist and dreamy texture.
• Pumpkin puree: Pumpkin puree is pure pureed pumpkin. You can typically find it in the baking aisle near the premade pie crusts and pie filling. Double check the can to make sure you’re getting pumpkin puree and NOT pumpkin pie filling! The recipe won’t use up an entire can of pumpkin puree, so see my post What to Do With Leftover Pumpkin Puree for storage tips and recipe ideas for the leftovers.

How to Make Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

1. Make the streusel by combining cool room temperature butter, flour, and brown sugar in a bowl. The butter should be soft enough to smoosh with a little force but not at all melty or greasy (too melty and it will be difficult to work with). Use your fingers (or a fork) to mix the ingredients until they clump and there is no dry flour or sugar at the bottom of the bowl. Put the streusel in the freezer while you finish the rest of your muffins.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients. And in a large bowl mix the wet ingredients. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet using a wooden spoon until just combined. Do not over mix or your muffins can come out tough!
3. Spoon the batter into lined muffin tin cups and drop streusel over the top. If the streusel crumbles are too large, gently break them up. If they’re too small, squeeze them together so they form larger pieces.
4. To give the muffins nice high muffin tops, they start baking at 425°F and then drop down to 350°F about halfway through baking. They’re done when a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean or with just a few dry crumbs.
5. To make the glaze, mix powdered sugar and milk together until you get a glaze that is just pourable. Don’t add too much milk or your glaze won’t set. You can glaze the muffins while warm if you’d like, but if you want really defined perfect lines of glaze, wait until they’re mostly cooled and keep your glaze on the thicker side.
6. Glaze the muffins, allow them about 15 minutes for the glaze to set, and enjoy!

Small-batch Pumpkin Muffin Variations

Not feeling streusel today? Skip it and try…

• No topping: These muffins are completely delicious plain or topped with a spread of butter.
• Cinnamon sugar: For cinnamon sugar topped muffins, generously brush the tops with melted butter and then dip in cinnamon sugar (use 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon to 1/4 cup of sugar).
• Glazed: Double the glaze called for in the recipe and dip the muffin tops in the glaze. Be sure to give them time for the glaze to set.

FAQ

How to store pumpkin muffins?

Store muffins at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The glaze can become slightly sticky after storing, so if making muffins in advance for company, it’s best to glaze them the day you plan on serving them.

Can I freeze pumpkin streusel muffins?

Yes! These muffins freeze quite well, streusel, glaze, and all. Once the glaze is set, wrap muffins individually in plastic wrap and store them in an airtight container or freezer bag in the freezer for up to 2 months.

To defrost, unwrap the muffin from the plastic wrap (the paper liner can stay on) and set it on the counter for 15 minutes to half an hour.

Can I double or triple this recipe?

Yes. This recipe doubles or triples with no changes needed.

More Small-batch Muffin Recipes

• Small-batch Banana Muffins
• Small-batch Chocolate Banana Muffins
• Small-batch Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Small-batch Blueberry Muffins
• Small-batch Apple Crumb Muffins

More Fall Recipes

• Dutch Apple Pie
• Pumpkin Snickerdoodles (Small-batch)
• Pumpkin Cupcakes (Small-batch)
• Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Donuts
• Pumpkin Pancakes
• Small No-bake Marshmallow Pumpkin Cheesecake

Small-batch Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

These perfectly soft and moist pumpkin streusel muffins are topped with crumbly, crunchy brown sugar streusel and a quick two-ingredient glaze.

5 from 14 votes

Print Pin

Course: Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cooling Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Servings (Hover or Click to Change Yield): 8 muffins

Calories: 271kcal

Author: Tracy

Ingredients

Streusel

• ▢ 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (45g) all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon (63g) brown sugar
• ▢ 3 tablespoons (42g) salted butter softened to cool room temperature*

Muffins

• ▢ 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour measured by weight or using the spoon and sweep method*
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger, and a generous pinch of ground cloves or allspice
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• ▢ 1/4 cup (50g) brown sugar
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• ▢ 3/4 cup (183g) pumpkin puree

Glaze

• ▢ 1/2 cup (60g) powdered sugar
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons milk any percentage, plus more as needed

Instructions

Streusel

• Preheat your oven to 425°F and line a muffin pan with 8 liners.
• In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, and cool room temperature butter.
• Use a fork or your fingers to mix the ingredients until they clump and no dry flour or sugar is left at the bottom of the bowl.
• Place the streusel in the freezer while you make the rest of your muffins.

Muffins

• In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine granulated and brown sugars, egg, vegetable oil, and pumpkin puree. Whisk until smooth.
• Switch to a wooden spoon, and add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Stir until just combined.
• Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake cups, filling about 3/4 of the way full.
• Drop streusel over the batter, dividing it equally between the muffins. If the streusel pieces are too large, gently break them up. If they're too small, smash them together to form larger crumbs.
• Bake muffins in the center of the oven for 8 minutes before dropping the temperature to 350°F. Bake for an additional 8 to 12 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean or with just a few crumbs.
• Cool muffins in the tin for 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.

Glaze

• Muffins can be glazed warm, but for thick, defined lines of icing, wait until they are almost completely cooled. In a small bowl, stir together powdered sugar and milk. If needed, add milk by the 1/4 teaspoon, adding just enough to get a drizzling consistency.
• Drizzle glaze over muffins (you may have some leftover), and allow 15 minutes for the icing to set.
• Serve and enjoy!

Notes

*If using unsalted butter, add a generous pinch of salt to the streusel. 

*Correct flour measurement is very important in this recipe. For best results, measure by weight or the Spoon and Sweep Method (stir the flour in your container to fluff it up and then spoon it into your measuring cup, sweep excess off with the flat of a knife).

Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days. If making in advance, wait until the day of to add glaze to the muffins if possible.

Did you make this recipe?I'd love to see it! Tag @BakingMischief or hashtag it #BakingMischief.

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