Hello, pumpkin! Are you still reading? Yes? I was afraid the sight of a pumpkin treat so early in the year might've made you close your browser. I hope not because these are totally delicious and my current favorite breakfast.
I keep canned pumpkin in my pantry all year long because the puggy-pies love it. I mix a little in with their puppy food for a healthful treat and sometimes I have 3/4 can leftover with nowhere to go except the refrigerator shelf.
This time I had just enough left over for these sour cream muffins. The batter whips up so thick and creamy, and it bakes up even prettier. Just look at those perfectly puffed muffin tops!
The cakes are lightly sweet, which means they can carry a nice big spoonful of sweet coffee glaze. Yu-u-uum!
If you're not into the coffee glaze, you can substitute milk or cream for the brewed espresso. And if you're into classic flavor combinations like pumpkin with cream cheese, then whisk 1 ounce of room temperature cream cheese into the milk glaze. I'll take all of the above!
Once the glaze firms, these transport well and can be toted away to deserving co-workers or school teachers.
Yields about 12 muffins
I use my large muffin tin for this recipe, which is sometimes marketed as a “Texas Muffin Pan”. Its cavities are slightly larger than those in a standard cupcake pan. These can be made in a standard pan but you’re likely to end up with more than 12 cakes.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup (55g) butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (100g) sugar
- 1/4 cup (55g) light brown sugar
- 2/3 cup (175g) canned pumpkin
- 1/2 cup (115g) full fat sour cream
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 cup (115g) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons strongly brewed coffee or espresso
- 12 pecan halves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, spice and salt in a large bowl.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugars. Add the canned pumpkin, sour cream, eggs and maple syrup. Mix well. Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture. Scrape down the bowl as needed. The batter will be thick. Fill paper-lined muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake 20-25 minutes for large muffins, and 15-20 minutes for standard muffins, or until the muffins are well puffed and a toothpick tester comes out clean. Let cool completely before glazing.
- Whisk together the powdered sugar and coffee in a medium bowl. Mixture should be thick and fall in a fat ribbon from a spoon. If mixture is thin, add additional powdered sugar one tablespoon at a time. If it is too thick, then add coffee 1/2 teaspoon at a time.
- Spoon glaze over cooled cakes and top each muffin with a pecan. Serve immediately or wait 30 minutes to 1 hour for the glaze to firm.
