It’s Fall and the weather is officially getting straight up cold for us. Somehow, we seem to only get a few weeks of nice, mild weather each Spring and Fall, and the rest of the year is either miserably hot or awfully cold. Muffins always come to mind when I think of something quick, easy, and comforting for an afternoon snack on a chilly day. I’ve been craving fluffy muffins this week and really wanted something without chocolate. So I made my Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Bread into muffins (without the cinnamon swirl!). And then I added a super simple brown sugar icing spiced with cinnamon because I just couldn’t resist! Glazed and iced breads are just so pretty.
For this recipe you’ll whip up a quick batch of muffins. Really, it only takes two bowls, and 15 minutes in the oven. And then you’ll heat the brown sugar, vegan butter, and plant milk to a boil. Whisk in the vanilla, cinnamon, and powdered sugar, and voilà! You have a delicious icing that pairs perfectly with the pumpkin muffins! Since the icing is heated up, it will set very quickly. Like, don’t even try to pour or drizzle it over your muffins – that won’t work. You want to dip the tops of each muffin in the icing. When your icing starts to get too thick (which it will), place your saucepan back over the heat until it thins and continue working quickly to get those muffins dipped!
Some of the ingredients I like for this recipe:
Whole wheat pastry flour gives these muffins maximum fluffiness! It’s a staple in my pantry, because I just love the texture it creates in my quick breads and muffins.
Coconut sugar is an unrefined, low GI sugar. It tastes less sweet than regular sugar, so it balances out the sweetness of the icing.
Coconut oil brings lots of moisture to these muffins. You won’t taste it at all in this recipe, but if you’re skeptical, feel free to use a refined version. Or you can use another vegetable oil.
Brown sugar is essential for the icing in this recipe. It creates a wonderful flavor that just can’t be replaced by another sugar!
Pumpkin Muffins with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Icing
Fluffy and moist pumpkin muffins dipped in a delicious cinnamon brown sugar icing! A perfect Fall treat that can be made dairy-free or vegan!
Ingredients
Pumpkin Muffins
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temp (or 2 flax eggs, if vegan - see note)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/3 cup plant-based milk, room temp or warm
- 1 cup pumpkin purée
Brown Sugar Cinnamon Icing
- 1 Tbsp vegan butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp plant-based milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and generously spray a 12-count muffin pan with non-stick spray (I used olive oil spray). Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut sugar, eggs (or flax eggs), vanilla, coconut oil, and milk. Whisk in the pumpkin purée. Add liquid ingredients to dry and gently mix with a large spatula until no flour pockets remain.
- Spoon batter into 10 muffin wells, filling 2/3-3/4 full. If your batter is thick, you can smooth out the tops with a spoon. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean.
- Allow muffins to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes and then gently remove them to cool on a cooling rack.
- Once the muffins are totally cool, you can make the icing. In a small saucepan, add the vegan butter, brown sugar, and milk. Whisk together and bring ingredients to a boil. Immediately remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla. Allow mixture to cool for 5 minutes. Whisk in the cinnamon and powdered sugar. You may need to add a little more milk at this point if your icing is too thick - since it cools quickly, you'll have to move fast to dip your muffins. I don't recommend pouring the icing.
- Quickly dip the tops of each muffin into the icing (you can tilt your saucepan to help you), turning right side up to set. If your icing begins to get too thick as you're working, put your saucepan back on the stove and heat for a few seconds until the icing thins out, stirring constantly.
- Enjoy iced muffins right away. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
- For vegan muffins, replace the eggs with two flax eggs: mix 2 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 6 Tbsp lukewarm water and allow to thicken for five minutes
- You can replace the coconut sugar with white or brown sugar.
- The whole wheat pastry flour can be replaced with regular, all-purpose flour, but your muffins may not be as fluffy.
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