Spiced Maple Crumb Muffins

I'm tired of every fall recipe being pumpkin spice! I keep seeing pumpkin spice this and pumpkin spice that, soon we're going to have pumpkin spice water coming out of our taps!

(If you still want to make my pumpkin bread, here's the recipe).

These maple muffins spice have a lot going on, but everything works together in perfect harmony. Bold autumnal spices warm your heart. Maple syrup, with a more complex flavor than sugar, is the sole sweetener, vaguely reminiscent of hot pancakes on a Sunday morning. A bit of almond flour lends a soft nuttiness. Greek yogurt lightens and moistens the muffins. Orange zest keeps it all fresh. The buttery, crisp crumb topping is everyone's favorite part. I made these for my friends at school and again for my extended family for a party. Everyone loved these unique muffins!

The muffin base recipe is adapted (just a little) from the Sweet Laurel blog, and the crumb topping comes from Sally's Baking Addiction.

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Yield: 16 medium muffins

Ingredients for the muffin base:

• 2 cups (260g) all purpose flour

• 1 cup (125g) almond flour

• 1 tablespoon baking power

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

• 1 stick (113g) unsalted butter, melted

• 1 cup (226ml) good quality maple syrup

• 2/3 cup (150g) whole milk greek yogurt

• 2 large eggs

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Zest of one orange

Ingredients for the crumb topping:

• 3/4 cup (95g) all purpose flour

• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup (50g) brown sugar (light or dark)

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 6 tablespoons (85g) melted butter

Ingredients for the maple drizzle:

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

• 1 tablespoon melted butter

• A few tablespoons maple syrup

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Prepare muffin pans with oil or cupcake liners.

2. Whisk together the dry ingredients (including the spices) in a medium bowl. Set aside.

3. Whisk the maple syrup with the melted butter in a large mixing bowl until homogenous.

4. Whisk in the yogurt until smooth, then add the eggs one at at time. Stir in the vanilla and the orange zest.

5. Fold the dry mixture into the wet, mixing just until no streaks of dry ingredients remain. Set batter aside.

6. In the bowl you used for the dry ingredients of the batter, combine all of the dry ingredients for the crumb topping (everything but the butter).

7. Pour the melted butter over the dry ingredients, and mix to form irregular crumbs.

8. Use a 1/4 cup ice cream scoop to portion the muffin batter into the pans. Sprinkle the crumbs liberally over each scooped muffin.

9. Bake for 25 minutes, until the muffin spring back when lightly pressed. Remove the muffins from the pan, let cool at least 30 minutes.

10. Place the powdered sugar in a small bowl. Pour the butter over then use a fork to slowly mix in the maple syrup until the glaze is just thin enough to fall in ribbons from the fork.

11. Put down a sheet of wax paper or tin foil, and place the muffins close together on top of the sheet. Use the fork to drizzle the glaze over all the muffins. Let the glaze set before enjoying.