We are less than one week away from the first day of fall and I am so ready for all the cozy, spiced, fall baking recipes! We’re kicking it off with these Pumpkin Cinnamon Streusel Muffins. A soft and tender pumpkin spice muffin with a cinnamon swirl, cinnamon streusel topping, and a drizzle of maple glaze. They’re like coffee cake in pumpkin muffin form!

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The great thing about this recipe is that the pumpkin muffin base is delicious all on its own but I decided to add a few extra special touches. I wanted to combine the flavors and texture of coffee cake with the fluffy, spiced, cake-like pumpkin muffin. Mission accomplished. I created that dreamy classic coffeecake swirl by sprinkling a layer of cinnamon sugar in between 2 layers of the pumpkin muffin batter. Every coffee cake needs a buttery, crisp streusel and this one has cinnamon for an extra layer of flavor. I finish them off with a generous drizzle of maple glaze, which is optional, but makes for the perfect combo of fall flavors!

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Ingredients

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• Flour. I use two different flours in this recipe, all-purpose and cake flour. The cake flour makes for a super soft and tender crumb inside. If all you have is all-purpose, that will work fine. Just swap the amount of cake flour for more all-purpose flour.

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• Pumpkin Puree. You’ll need 1 cup of pumpkin puree. Make sure to measure/weigh this because will be less than a whole can. Also, make sure to grab the puree at the store on not anything labeled “pumpkin pie mix”. That is meant for pumpkin pie specifically and has other ingredients added that will throw off this recipe.

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• Spices. For these pumpkin muffins, I use mostly cinnamon along with a little ginger and a hint of nutmeg. You can add a dash of ground cloves too if you’d like or even use pumpkin pie spice in place of the spice measurements, which would be about 3 teaspoons altogether. My mom has always made all of her fall spiced treats will only cinnamon and subbed that for all other spices which is an option if you favor cinnamon over the other spices!

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• Maple Flavoring. The flavoring is only in the glaze and it’s completely optional to add but I love a maple glaze, especially when combined with pumpkin and fall spices. I prefer to use a natural maple flavoring rather than maple syrup for a stronger, more defined maple flavor without adding additional sweetness. My favorite maple flavoring is this one. If you are a maple fanatic and use it a ton, I have to recommend this Maple Compound. It’s pricey and there is a lot of it but this stuff is so delicious mixed into glazes, buttercream, or just about any fall treat you can think of.

Helpful Tools and Supplies

No fancy tools are needed for this recipe (which goes for most of my recipes) but I thought I’d share some of my favorite kitchen basics!

• Kitchen Scale. If I had to choose only one kitchen tool ever, it would be my kitchen scale. I talk about this in many of my baking recipes because it is the most accurate way to measure your ingredients and will give you the best, most successful results! I use this one and I love it because you can choose from grams, ounces, or pounds. You’ll notice in my baking recipes that I always list the gram measurement next to any cup measurement!
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• Muffin Tin. I love my baking pans from the USA Pan brand and this muffin pan is no different. They are sturdy, long-lasting, and have a nonstick coating which makes cleanup so much easier. They also make sheet pans, loaf pans, and lots of shapes and sizes that you’ll be adding to your wishlist.
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• Cupcake/Muffin Liners. You can spray your muffin pan with cooking spray if you don’t have any cupcake liners. A cupcake liner will make your life a little easier though. Try using a natural brown liner for a fun fall feel. Sometimes I like to mix it up and use these tulip muffins cups. They will make your muffins look extra special like they were pulled fresh off the bakery tray. I’ve found that these also help keep that crumbly streusel topping piled up on the muffin.
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• Cookie Scoop. Another necessity in my kitchen is a good set of cookie scoops. I love these restaurant-quality ones and use several of the different sizes for cookies, cupcakes, muffins, and basically any batter that I need to portion out. It will help you get consistency and equal portions in your baking. 

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How to Make Pumpkin Cinnamon Streusel Muffins

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1. Make the cinnamon streusel and cinnamon swirl. These both come together quickly. The streusel uses melted butter so there’s no need to cut or crumble cold butter. Combine the dry ingredients then add the melted butter until the mixture is combined and crumbly. For the cinnamon swirl, just mix the cinnamon and sugar together. Set these both aside while you make the muffin batter.
   
   
2. Mix up the pumpkin muffin batter. This batter comes together quickly and all in one bowl. So easy! Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl then mix in the wet ingredients. Only mix the batter until no more flour streaks remain. Be careful not to overmix to ensure that you end up with a tender, light muffin.

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3. Fill the muffin tins. Fill a 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners, or coat each tin with cooking spray. You’ll layer about 2 tablespoons of batter, then ½ teaspoon of the cinnamon sugar mixture, then another 2 tablespoons of muffin batter. Finish with a handful of the cinnamon streusel. Compact the streusel in your hand, then break it up over the muffin for varying sizes of crumbs. Press the streusel in lightly to help it stick to the muffins while they bake.
   
   

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4. Bake the muffins. The muffins bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, before they finish baking at 350°F for another 15-17 minutes. The initial high temperature will help the muffins rise to give them that classic domed muffin top. Be sure to leave the muffins in the oven while you change the temperature. Cool the muffins for at least 10 minutes before adding the glaze.
   
   
5. Glaze the muffins. The maple glaze comes together quickly so you can make this while the muffins are in the oven or even while they cool. Only 3 ingredients are needed - powdered sugar, milk, and maple flavoring. I like to keep it simple and use the same whisk I mix it with, to drizzle the glaze over the muffins. You can add as little or as much glaze as you’d like to but this recipe does make enough for a generous drizzle on each muffin. Serve and enjoy!

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More Sweet Breakfast Recipes You’ll Love

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• Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins

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• Almond Cream Brioche Buns

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• Blueberry Streusel Coffee Cake Loaf

Lastly, if you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment below and tag @sweetkitchencravings on Instagram or TikTok. Or if Pinterest is more your style, you can save my recipes to your collection there. Happy pumpkin muffin making!

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