Then there was that time where I based a recipe off a candle scent.

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Yep I’m serious.

At least it’s a little better than that one time I made a milkshake based on a hand soap scent? Right right.

*inserts monkey-covering-eyes emoji*

pumpkin chai crumble muffins I howsweeteats.com

It’s this candle: pumpkin chai, obviously. It smells like HEAVEN and I would like to somehow bathe in that without burning my skin off. It’s good enough to eat!

So we’re eating it.

I’m having a chai MOMENT here. Pumpkin chai, with all those warming spices. I also wouldn’t hate it if you decided to drizzle some chai caramel on this buttery love muffin. Hmmmpf. Why didn’t I do that? I’m the WORST.

pumpkin chai crumble muffins I howsweeteats.com

Last year I mentioned how I had really started to enjoy pumpkin flavors again. Apple probably still ranks as my favorite for the entire autumn season, butternut or acorn or delicata squash is an easy second, but after years of just not really caring at all about pumpkin, I’m finding myself loving it. When I started blogging, there wasn’t this whole OMG PUMPKIN thing. What’s funny though it that at the time, I was sort of OMG PUMPKIN because I’d found the most delicious pumpkin cookie recipe. As the years went on, I was somewhat… well, for lack of a better word, OVER it. The universe binged on pumpkin and then I got pregnant and really didn’t want to consume it.

Some pumpkin coffee was okay, but that’s where I drew the line.

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When I brought it back into my life last year, I realized that I needed to jazz it up a bit with extra flavors other than just pumpkin. In fact, I only shared two pumpkin recipes last year: french breads with parmesan and tons of brown butter and cheesecake with pistachios and a macaroon crust.

No boring pumpkin here for me.

pumpkin chai crumble muffins I howsweeteats.com

So, let’s chat about these pillowy puffs of love because this is about as plain as pumpkin is going to get.

pumpkin chai crumble muffins I howsweeteats.com

They are super soft and wonderful. You can use all-purpose or whole wheat flour and they will be crumb-like and practically melt in your mouth. Tons of chai spice and then a crunchy crumble topping because I can’t really eat muffins any other way.

And then when they come out of the oven, break one open well before you should (the burnt taste buds are #worthit) and slather it with cold butter, so it oozes the whole way through the pumpkin puff. It’s a lesson in patience in watching the butter melt while wanting to devour it like whoa.

Isn’t this Monday the best?!

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Pumpkin Chai Crumble Muffins

5 from 10 votes
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Ingredients

crumble

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with liners.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, allspice and salt. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the egg, pumpkin, milk, coconut oil and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing with a large spatula until just combined. Do not overmix! Use an ice cream scoop or 1/4 cup measure to evenly scoop the batter into the muffin liners. Top each with a tablespoon or 2 of the crumble mixture.
  • Bake the muffins for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the tops are set. Let cool slightly before serving.

crumble

  • To make the crumb topping, whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, salt and melted butter until combined. Whisk for a minute or two until the sugar begins to dissolve, then use a wooden spoon to stir in the flour. The mixture will be crumb-like and dry. Almost like a sludge or paste. This is what you want! Sprinkle the crumb on top of the muffins, covering the batter completely.

Notes

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That pat though.