What Does Fall Taste Like: Pumpkin-Cinnamon Muffins

I always wondered why fall was the only season 

with two names and after reading all the scientific reasons, 

it comes down to this....

there are many reasons!!     

One reason is because fall was once referred to as 

“harvest” because that is when farmers gathered 

their crops for winter, between August and November. 

Around the 1600s more people started moving 

into cities and the word harvest was replaced with 

"fall of the leaf" which comes from the 

Old English word feallan, which means 

“to fall or to die.” 

Over time, the phrase was shortened.   

"Fall of the leaf" is more like a phrase and 

so it was shortened to fall.  

In old French they used  autompne, 

and in old German they used abernten, 

and in Latin they used autumnus 

which means  autumn.  

It doesn't really matter to me what we call it, 

I just enjoy this time of  year.  

I love everything about it....cooler days, changing leaves, 

fuzzy slippers, warm apple cider and pumpkin anything.  

These Pumpkin-Cinnamon Muffins are what fall would 

taste like, if we could taste fall.

Makes 12 muffins 

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place muffin liners in muffin tin.  Spray with cooking spray.

Ingredients~

For the muffin batter:

1 3/4 cups flour
3/4  teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
2  teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup plain or vanilla Greek yogurt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 brown sugar
2 eggs
1  teaspoon vanilla
8 ounces pure pumpkin
1/4 vanilla almond milk or regular milk


Make the muffin batter: 

• Whisk together in a large bowl the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the butter, sugars, eggs, vanilla, yogurt and pumpkin. Mix until not quite combined. Finish mixing with a rubber spatula. Add milk and blend until combined. 
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and again mix with the electric mixer until not quite combined. Finish mixing with a rubber spatula. There should be lumps.
• Fill each muffin cup 2/3 with the batter.

For the crumb topping:

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons melted butter
pinch of salt

Make the crumb topping: 

• In a small bowl combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, butter, and salt. Stir until mixture is combined – there should be some small lumps. 
• Top each batter-filled muffin cup with a spoonful of streusel, spreading so the tops are evenly coated and press down slightly. 
• Bake 20-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean, maybe with a crumb or two.