Perfect with a morning cup of coffee or tea, these muffins are celebrating autumn in a tasty way. Chai spice tea-infused butter gives these muffins their flavor, and the oatmeal, pumpkin seed topping gives a little crunch.
So, recently I got on the fall train. A little late by my Mid-Western standards, but when you live in Arizona and its 100 plus degrees daily, the last thing you are thinking of are comfort foods, cozy fires, and turning your oven on. Though, I feel like if I don't celebrate fall, I'll miss it. Back in Illinois, autumn was my favorite season. I loved apple picking and going to our local pumpkin farm with my family. I would decorate our house inside and out with fall decor. I loved the earthy colors, the smell of burning leaves, and the feel of the crisp, cold air as it gently blew against my face. I loved watching my children run through a pile of leaves, laughing and smiling all the while, and nature walks we would take through our neighborhood collecting pinecones, acorns, and leaves. I have lovely memories of those times.
Though I love fall, I am not a pumpkin spice kind of person. I am not easily excited about the news of pumpkin lattes at Starbucks or Dunkin. I do love a slice of good pumpkin bread, though, and if you do too, you need to make this Goodwill Pumpkin Bread. I found this recipe on a notecard, handwritten, and slipped into a cookbook I purchased at Goodwill. It makes a beautiful loaf, and it is moist and delicious!
A couple of weeks ago, I tried a recipe for chai spice pumpkin muffins with marshmallows in them. They were good, but there was something a little off that I didn't like. I thought marshmallows would be really good in them, which they were, but they just melted in and they didn't have that marshmallowy texture I was trying for. That is why I test recipes out and tweak them. If it isn't good enough to share, then I won't. So, back to the old drawing board for the muffins.
The idea for infusing the butter with the chai spice tea came from a Food and Wine recipe for pumpkin chai muffins. I came up with a recipe with a good chai spice flavor, but also I love the crumbly topping of the oatmeal and pumpkin seeds. If you are into fall baking, I hope you try these excellent and easy to make muffins. They are a delightful way of getting into a little pumpkin flavor this season.
Chai Spice Pumpkin Muffins with Oatmeal Pumpkin Seed Crumble
Makes 12
1 stick unsalted butter
4 chai spice tea bags (I used Trader Joe's)
Open three bags and empty tea out in a small bowl. Repeat with the other one in a separate dish for the topping.
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
1 cup pureed pumpkin
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
For topping:
1 cup, packed brown sugar
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup shelled, roasted, and salted pumpkin seeds.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 reserved tea bag, tea leaves only
Pre-heat oven to 350°. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper cups.
In a small pot, over medium-high heat, melt butter, and add the contents of three chai spice tea bags. Remove from heat, allow to cool a bit.
In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, melted butter with tea, and milk. Mix well.
In a larger bowl, combine sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and Kosher salt. Mix well. Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.
For the topping, combine brown sugar, oatmeal, pumpkin seeds, and the tea from one teabag. Next, gently crumble the butter into the sugar, oatmeal, pumpkin seed mixture using your fingers. Rub the butter in between your fingers with the sugar mixture until it resembles crumbly sand.
Using a scoop, fill each paper cup 3/4 the way up. Top each with some oatmeal and pumpkin seed topping. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.