Chai Pumpkin Crumb Muffins

"I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion" 

Henry David Thoreau

I am on a Chai bender. I blame Starbucks. I tried the chai latte, now all I want is that hot spicy cardamom infused tea!

 

I have  some left over pumpkin from the holidays. My husband is still in the hospital, and our holiday was --well---you can guess.  I did not bake anything. I made these Saturday, and am now just posting them. 

Jarrahdale Pumpkin

soft, melon-like aroma, delicious flesh

deep, bright orange, very firm, very little stringiness

this variety is from the town of Jarrahdale in New Zealand

 This is the pumpkin I used. I cut, cleaned and roasted, pureed and squeeezed. It is a beautiful deep orange flesh. 

Chai Pumpkin Crumb Muffins

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2/3 cup pumpkin (I used a Jarrahdale fresh, I roasted and squeezed out the moisture)
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon Chai spice  ( see below)

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Cream together butter and sugars until creamy, with paddle  blade.  Beat in  eggs, one at a time until just combined. Add pumpkin, vanilla.  Sift the dry ingredients together, then add 1/3  into the batter. Alternate with butter milk in three steps. Ending with dry ingredients.  Stir just until combined. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin tins 2/3 full of batter.

Crumb Topping 
This makes a lot of crumb topping . I like a loaded muffin.

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 9 Tablespoons brown sugar

• 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter

• 1 teaspoon vanilla 

• pinch of salt

 For topping, combine the butter and brown sugar in bowl or mixer. Beat on low  with paddle attachment until blended.  Add vanilla. Blend  Add flour and salt  slowly and beat on low. Mixture will clump  together into crumbs. Spoon  topping over the muffins, or squeeze mixture together with hands to make bigger crumbs . Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

Chai Spice ( USE the freshest spices you have!)

• 2 tbsp. ground ginger
• 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp. ground cloves
• 2 tbsp. ground cardamom
• 2 tsp. nutmeg
• 2 tsp.allspice
• 1 tsp. white pepper or 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 vanilla bean seeds or 2 teaspoons vanilla powder ( optional)

1. Combine  spices. Blend to a fine powder in a spice grinder ( if using fresh) , or mix already ground spices
   
2. Store the dry mixture in an airtight container.

 
see that beautiful orange?

see that crumb topping?

I am so super please with the outcome of these muffins. They are rich, spicy, crumbly and super moist. The fresh pumpkin makes all the difference. The Chai is a nice " foil" to the pumpkin.  

:)