After graduate school, I spent a year living in Fort Bragg on California’s Mendocino Coast where the Laurel Street Deli & Bakery enticed the locals with the most amazing homemade muffins. Twenty years later, I still have fantasies about their rich, moist flavorful Pumpkin Apple Streusel muffins. Here’s a recipe that comes close but if you want the real thing, you’ll need to head up to Fort Bragg. It’s worth the trip, especially around the holidays!
Pumpkin Apple Muffins
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cups white sugar
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice (or 2 sp cinnamon, 1/2 sp ginger & 1/2 tsp nutmeg)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup canned organic pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups peeled, finely chopped GALA or FUJI apple
Streusel Topping
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 teaspoons cold butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 18 muffin cups or use paper liners. In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, pumpkin and oil. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stirring just to moisten. Fold in apples. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Streusel Mix In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons flour, 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle topping evenly over muffin batter. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
