This is a spectacular recipe for pumpkin muffins. Their texture is perfect, and their pumpkin spice flavor is like the best pumpkin pie, in muffin form.

No question: these are restaurant quality muffins. They’re gorgeous, fluffy, and pumpkiny. The pillowy softness of the crumb is enhanced by the crunchiness of the crust. I’ve not gone to culinary school, and would never pretend to exist on the same plane as a professional baker, but I am a well-travelled, highly-seasoned eater of muffins, and if I came upon a bakery making these muffins, I’d absolutely rave about it.

Definitely enjoy one while they’re still warm (but not hot).

About the Ingredients…

• If the puree is homemade or leftover, it may have been refrigerated for storage. If so, it’ll be too cold, which will screw with your bake. You need to bring it closer to room temperature. It’s best to do this naturally, but if you have to push it along, try 45-second stints at 50% power in the microwave. Stir and reassess. Remember, your goal is to get it room temperature, not warm and certainly not hot. (If you’re getting it straight from a can, obviously it’ll already be at room temperature.)
• Canned puree, by the way, is excellent – in fact, probably as good or better than what you can make from a fresh pumpkin at home. I’ve tried; that’s how I know.
• If the only ingredient that you’re bringing to room temperature is the eggs, there are faster ways ways than simply letting them sit on the countertop. However, two cold eggs aren’t going to have much of an effect on these muffins. 
• 50g of raisins is not a lot. Trust me, it’s the perfect amount, unless you want this to become a pumpkin-raisin muffin. The nuts, you could easily cut that amount in half, although I like the full amount.
• The orange is optional, depending on how much you want these pumpkins to sate a pumpkin-spice craving. Without the orange, the muffins are solidly reminiscent of pumpkin pie. If you add the orange, it’s amazing how much it comes through. It blends with the pumpkin and creates a really beautiful effect. The result is still clearly pumpkin, and it’s unquestionably delicious, but it pushes the bullseye somewhere left of “pumpkin spice.” It all comes down to what you want from these muffins. Both ways are wonderful.

Serving Sizes

As always, I’m going to suggest that each of these jumbo muffins is shareable by two people. But they’re so good, you’re going to wind up eating one all to yourself. 

Leftovers

How you store muffins depends entirely on how quickly you plan to eat them.

If you’ll finish them over the next few days, keep them on the counter. The trick is to prevent them from getting soggy, or from drying out too fast. Do this: Once they are absolutely at room temperature, and have been so for a while, to the point that you’re convinced that they’re room temperature all the way to their cores, line a zip-top bag with a sheet of paper towel. Place the muffins inside in a single layer, then place another paper towel directly on top of them. Seal the bag when you’re ready to retire for the evening, and from that point on, keep it sealed. The paper towels absorb the escaping moisture – which you are helpless to prevent – but trapping it in the paper towels stops the sugar on the muffin tops from turning sticky and wet.

Kept like this, once the muffins are day-old, they will have lost the crispness of their crusts, unfortunately … but the sugar will still offer you a bit of crunch, which is really nice. The muffins will still be beautifully moist and will be absolutely crushing it with deliciousness. Even though they’re day-old, I wouldn’t hesitate to offer one to a guest and feel proud of my work. Two-day-old, ditto with a slight loss of moisture. Change the paper towels. Three-day-old: sugar crunch almost gone, tops a bit soggy, crumb a bit drier, flavor still amazing … but definitely a step down.

Muffins freeze incredibly well and taste almost as good as fresh once thawed. As soon as they’ve come to room temperature, wrap each one individually in plastic wrap, (and then in aluminum foil), and place them all into a heavy-duty freezer bag. They will keep well for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or unwrap and microwave on high for 20 to 30 seconds. For a crisp crust, pop a thawed muffin into a toaster oven at 350°F for 3 to 5 minutes.

There’s nothing in these muffins that needs refrigeration, so don’t store them in the fridge. The cool, circulating air will dry them out, and they’ll go stale much faster than they would on the countertop.

Pumpkin Muffins

Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man! This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything. Make It Like a Man! has no connection to Breville or any outlet that sells its applicances, and this post was not sponsored in any way. Thank you, Kesor. Thank you, ⌘+C. Make It Like a Man! is ranked by Feedspot as #2 in the Top 30 Men’s Cooking Blogs. 

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