Small Batch Pumpkin Crumb Cake Muffins

Small Batch Pumpkin Crumb Cake Muffins

It's no secret that I'm a huge proponent for small batch baking recipes. They're perfect for those of us who live alone and lack self-control because it means there are less leftovers sitting around waiting for me to devour them all (lol), which was the inspiration behind my second cookbook, Simple Small-Batch Baking.

This small batch pumpkin crumb cake muffin recipe is actually from the "Weekend Brunch" chapter of my second cookbook, Simple Small-Batch Baking, which is available wherever books are sold! This scaled-down recipe makes just 6 muffins, which is perfect for small households! If pumpkin isn't your thing but you're still craving a delicious fall treat, then I'm sure you'll love my apple cinnamon muffins or other easy muffin recipes.

Why You'll Love These Easy Pumpkin Crumb Cake Muffins

These pumpkin crumb cake muffins are one of my new favorite fall treats (right behind pumpkin cinnamon rolls). Here's why you'll love them:

• They're super easy to make
• No mixer required
• Insanely moist and perfectly spiced
• They're eggless! And if you replace the butter in the crumb topping, they can easily be made vegan/dairy-free!

These are basically autumn in a muffin pan— one bite and you’ll be dreaming of crisp fall days, pumpkin spice lattes, and big slouchy sweaters.

Ingredients & Substitutions

For these small batch pumpkin crumb cake muffins, you need some pretty basic pantry ingredients:

• Butter– I prefer using unsalted butter in my baked goods, but salted is just fine too... you'll just want to omit the salt the recipe calls for in the crumb topping.
• Dark Brown Sugar– For the crumb topping. The color, moisture, and flavor you get from the molasses in dark brown sugar can't be beaten.
• Light Brown Sugar– For the pumpkin muffin base! You can obviously use dark brown sugar here if that's all you have.
• Granulated Sugar– It's nice to have a bit of balance as far as sweeteners are concerned.
• Pumpkin Pie Spice– If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, you can use 1/8 teaspoon each of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves for the crumb topping and 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/8 teaspoon each of ginger and cloves for the muffins.
• Vegetable Oil– To help keep our muffins nice and moist. You could also use melted coconut oil instead!
• Pumpkin– Make sure it's pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling.
• All-purpose Flour– All-purpose flour consistently lead to the best results when testing these muffins.
• Fine Sea Salt– The salt helps balance all that sugar
• Baking Soda + Baking Powder– Our leavening agents to help these muffins rise.

How to Make Pumpkin Crumb Cake Muffins

Now, let’s make these muffins! For full details on how to make these pumpkin crumb cake muffins, see the recipe card down below.

1. The Brown Butter Pumpkin Spice Crumb Topping

This crumb topping is dangerously good... you're gonna want to throw it on top of everything! To make, you'll begin by browning your butter on the stovetop. Once that's done, you'll simply add the dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and salt to the brown butter. Then you'll stir in the flour, and mix with a fork until the flour is completely incorporated and crumbs form. Transfer the bowl to the fridge until you are ready to use the topping; this helps give the crumbs a chance to firm up.

2. The Pumpkin Muffin

These muffins are SO easy to make; if you can whisk/stir ingredients together, you can make these muffins! To start, you'll whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice until the ingredients are combined, then set aside.
In a separate bowl, you'll whisk together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, and pumpkin puree until they're combined. Then you'll just add in the dry ingredients and fold everything together gently until just combined and no flour pockets remain.

From there, you'll spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling each cup almost full, and then top with the crumb topping before transferring the pan to the oven to bake!

Serving & Storage

Serving: These pumpkin crumb cake muffins need about an hour to cool down, however, you can serve them warm or at room temperature.

Storage: Leftover muffins should be stored in an airtight container and can be kept at room temperature for up to 2 days or kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Leftovers can also be individually wrapped in plastic wrap surrounded by tin foil and then be frozen for up to 3 months; thaw in the fridge or on the counter or reheat in the microwave briefly before serving.

Recipe Troubleshooting & FAQ

Can I reduce the sugar?
I wouldn't recommend it, no. It’s doing more than lending a sweet flavor; it’s actually helping with the overall structure and texture of the muffins. If you're dead set on reducing some of the sugar, however, I would suggest reducing no more than 1/4 cup (50 grams) of the granulated sugar that's in the pumpkin muffin base.

Can I double this recipe?
Yup, you can double the recipe and bake it in a standard 12-cup muffin pan; the bake time will be about the same! You can adjust the 'servings' slider from 6 to 12 to get the proper metric measurements.

How can you tell when the muffins are done baking?
A toothpick is your best friend when testing muffins for doneness. You’ll want to remove these pumpkin crumb cake muffins from the oven when your toothpick can be inserted into the center and comes out clean. Make sure to let them cool for 10 minutes in the pan before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.