Ingredients:
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 3/4 cup Light Brown Sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
- 2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon Freshly Grated Nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves or Allspice (Optional)
- 1 cup Canned Pumpkin Puree (unsweetened)
- 2 Large Eggs (room temperature)
- 1/2 cup Neutral Oil (e.g., Vegetable or Canola)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup Walnuts, toasted and chopped
- 1 Tablespoon Turbinado or Demerara Sugar (Optional, for topping)
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or lightly grease and flour the cups.
- Lightly toast the chopped walnuts in a dry pan until fragrant (about 5 minutes). Set aside to cool completely.
- In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly whisk together all the dry ingredients (flour, sugars, salt, baking powder/soda, and all spices). Create a well in the centre.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the pumpkin puree, room-temperature eggs, oil, and vanilla extract until completely smooth and emulsified.
- Pour the wet mixture directly into the well of the dry ingredients.
- Using a rubber spatula, fold the ingredients together just until the flour disappears. Do not overmix; a few small streaks of flour remaining are acceptable.
- Gently fold in the toasted walnuts until distributed (5-10 folds maximum).
- Use an ice cream scoop to divide the batter evenly into the 12 prepared muffin cups, filling them nearly full. Sprinkle the tops evenly with Turbinado sugar, if using.
- Place the tin into the preheated 425°F (220°C) oven and bake for 5 minutes.
- Without opening the oven door, immediately reduce the temperature to 375°F (190°C) and continue baking for another 17–19 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Let the muffins cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.