This pumpkin muffins recipe uses a full 15-ounce can of puree and oil instead of butter, so the crumb stays soft instead of drying out by morning. I start them at 425°F so the tops dome, then drop the oven to 350°F so the centers set without a wet band. If you want pumpkin in a loaf, I already have a chocolate chip pumpkin bread, and these sit well next to a slice of pumpkin cheesecake on a fall table.
Ingredients
- 1 can (15 oz / 425 g) pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
- ½ cup (120 ml) vegetable oil, or melted coconut oil
- ¾ cup (150 g) packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1¾ cups (220 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (180 g) chocolate chips, optional
- 1 tablespoon coarse sugar, for the tops, optional
Instructions
- Heat the oven: Heat the oven to 425°F (218°C) with a rack in the center. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners, or grease the cups well so the muffins release. The oven needs to be fully at 425°F before the pan goes in, or the tops stay flat instead of doming.
- Whisk the dry mix: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt until the spices look even and you don’t see streaks of soda. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off. Packing the cup is the fastest way to a dry muffin.
- Whisk the pumpkin batter: In a large bowl, whisk the pumpkin puree and oil until the mixture is smooth and glossy. Add both sugars, the eggs, and vanilla, and whisk until the sugar dissolves and the batter looks uniform. The full can replaces the milk a lot of muffin recipes add, so don’t thin it.
- Fold and fill: Pour the dry mix into the wet and fold with a spatula just until the last streak of flour disappears. The batter should be thick, not pourable. If you’re adding chocolate chips, fold them in now, then divide the batter among the 12 cups, filling each liner to the top so they have enough batter to dome. Sprinkle the coarse sugar on the tops if you want a bakery crunch.
- Bake high, then lower: Bake 5 minutes at 425°F, then lower the oven to 350°F (177°C) without pulling the pan. Bake 15 to 17 minutes more, until the tops spring back and a toothpick in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs, not wet batter. Cool in the pan 5 minutes, then move them to a rack so the bottoms don’t steam and go soggy.
Dry crumb vs a gummy middle
- If the muffins taste dry the next morning, you packed the flour or swapped the oil for melted butter. Spoon and level the flour, and keep the oil. Butter tastes fine on day one, then the crumb tightens.
- A gummy, wet band in the center is usually pumpkin pie filling, which has starch and extra sugar, or mixing until the batter turns gluey. Use plain puree, and stop folding when the last flour streak is gone.
- If they sink as they cool, they came out too early. Give them 2 to 3 more minutes next batch. A toothpick with wet batter is not done, even if the tops look set.
Keep the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. The fridge dries them out faster than the counter. For longer storage, freeze them once they’re cool, then thaw at room temperature or warm 15 to 20 seconds in the microwave.
