Allspice Crumb Muffins
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It’s Friday and the weekend is here (cue the trumpets). With the hustle and bustle of typical weekday mornings, many people barely manage a bowl of Cheerios, let alone a homemade treat for breakfast. It seems that pancakes and sausage, fluffy waffles, and jumbo muffins are often reserved for weekend indulgences. Snuggled under your mountain of blankets, convinced that nothing could pry you out of bed after a week of sleep deprivation, you catch a whiff. The bacon sizzling, the sweet maple aroma of sausage, or spiced muffins coming from the oven, and I guarantee you’re out of bed in a flash. It seems ingrained in all of us – being roused from sleep with your nose, it’s almost inevitable that as soon as your feet hit the floor your stomach is rumbling. And suddenly you can’t get to the kitchen fast enough. It’s a marvelous way to wake up, and a perfect way to remember to slow down and savor the small things that bring us joy. Whether it be loved ones, the perfect cup of coffee, or a plateful of bacon 
No matter your favorite way to enjoy the laziness of a morning where you have nowhere to be, these muffins should be penciled into your weekend-slow-down-and-smell-the-bacon plans.
These muffins are every bit as Saturday-morning-cozy as you might imagine. The muffin itself is tender and light, and it gets a kick from the allspice in the batter. And then of course the streusel. Ahh, streusel. I am a sucker for anything that has streusel or buttery crumbs on it – cream cheese coffee cakes, sour cream coffee cakes, blueberry crumb cake, and it goes without saying, the holy grail of all that is sacred regarding streusel – New York-style crumb cake. As is the case with just about every muffin recipe, the beauty lies in the simplicity of the recipe, and that such a simple process can produce such amazingly delicious results. The smell of these baking away in the oven will get even the soundest of sleepers shuffling into the kitchen. Enjoy your weekend!
{Footnote: I had an assistant during my photo shoot, he kept a close eye on the muffins…}
One year ago: Cucidati (Italian Fig Cookies)
Two years ago: Tiramisu
Allspice Crumb Muffins
Yield: Makes 12 muffins
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
For the Streusel:
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup light brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground allspice
5 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bitsFor the Muffins:
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 stick (8 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
¾ cup whole milk
¼ teaspoon vanilla extractDirections:
1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter or spray the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan or line with paper cups. Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet.
2. To make the streusel, put the flour, brown sugar, and allspice in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Add the bits of cold butter and toss, pinching the mixture between your fingers, until you have pea-sized crumbs. Set aside in the refrigerator. (The streusel can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored, covered, in the refrigerator.)
3. To make the muffins, in a large bowl whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, allspice, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the brown sugar, making certain there are no lumps. In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together the melted butter, eggs, milk and vanilla extract until well combined. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and with the whisk or a rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend. The batter will be lumpy; that is how it should be.
4. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Sprinkle streusel over each muffin, then use your fingertips to gently press the crumbs into the batter.
5. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing each muffin. Cool completely on the wire rack. Muffins can be stored, in an airtight container, at room temperature for up to 5 days.
(Adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours
by Dorie Greenspan)
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Muffins + crumb topping = heaven! These look amazing, so Saturday morning! Michelle, I love your descriptions of all of your recipes. The description alone wants me to make these muffins! Have a great weekend
p.s. Your dog is such a cutie!
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what accurate description of weekend mornings! i live in Dubai so my weekend is friday and this is how i actually got up today.. the muffins look good!! and i too am a fan of streusal thanks to your sour cream coffee cake!!
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Muffins be damned … I LOVE the photo with your dog! I’d seen many such a look myself back in the days when I had a golden retriever underfoot. It’s that look in their eyes that warns you, “don’t turn around … I won’t be able to help myself from eating one or two or seven the instant I think you’re not looking!” I’m not a big one for muffins, but that picture made my day!
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That is too cute with the dog!! I believe you just may have been describing your pups Sat. morning romp to the kitchen looking for breakfast as well
Have a great weekend!
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haha! your dog is just waiting for you to turn around so he can snatch one
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I have this recipe saved to make; I know I’d love them. You have an adorable little assistant there
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OHEMGEE. These look delicious! I really need to pay closer attention to my Dorie book. I’m a whore for muffins! (Not literally, but you know what I mean.)
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They look delicious! Wish I had one with my cup of coffee now! That’s quite an assistant you have and I would like one of those myself!
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Looks delicious! I think I’d have a couple of assistants helping me too if I made these!
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I love a good muffin and this is it!
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That’s my favourite way to wake up too. I never seem to be the one doing the waking though. I’m not much of a morning person, but I do enjoy a good plate of muffins. I must try these!
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I just made these but added a cream cheese spice filling. They are just amazing. I love how dense and moist the muffin is.
Thanks for sharing! I’m dropping them off to the ladies at the daycare, but not before I eat one or two!
Have a great weekend!
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Man, I haven’t woken up to the smell of breakfast since I was a kid. It’s the problem with being the only cook in a relationship. Heh. Those muffins look awesome, love that last pic.
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i almost made these last weekend! they look so good!
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The muffins look wonderful! I really really love your dog! I had a golden retriever for 13 years, they are the best dogs. I really want another one!
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The muffins look so good! I know your pooch thinks so, too!
My dog would have had one in his mouth and he’d be running down the hall with it!
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Loved these muffins! When I made them, I couldn’t stop eating them. Guess it’s time to make them again.
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These are the perfect muffins for my hubby although I have to make them gluten free but he would love these.
Come on over. I am having a giveaway for cookware.
http://sweetsav.blogspot.com/2010/03/paula-deen-skillets-yes-giveaway.html
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Your “assistant” is quite adorable!! Golden retriever? What a cutie pie!
I agree: breakfast is usually the reason for my getting out of bed in the mornings, especially on the weekends =) The muffins look wonderfully scrumptious!
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lol @ Einy eying up your cupcakes!
Too cute!!!
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Yum! Those look delicious. If I wasn’t stuck at work, I would be making them right now. I don’t need it to be morning to devour delicious breakfast muffins.
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These muffins look great! Love the picture with your doggy keeping a watchful eye on the muffins.
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These look so good! I just love finding a new muffin recipe, since I eat muffins every day. Your assistant is the cutest!
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Ohhh that looks sooo good!
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Yummy muffins, cute as heck picture with the dog looking on.
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Crumb topping and muffins are a match made in heaven. I must say I couldn’t tell you exactly what allspice tastes like, but I’m sure this is delicious!
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I love the picture!!! I have my assistant too!! They look alike! And she is always at the kitchen by my side while I cook!!! Poor baby, the smells drive her crazy!!! By the way I love your blog and your recipes!!!
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Ohhh how I love allspice. These look amazing!
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If I smelled these baking, I definitely wouldn’t be able to stay in bed. I love the photo of your dog eyeing the muffins!
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Made these muffins this morning, and they are delicious! I could smell the butter as they were baking, yum. I could only eat one, since they were so rich, but I will definitely make them again. The crumb topping is delicious and the muffin itself is moist. Thank-you! Oh, and I love the picture of your helper also, so cute!
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I love allspice and these look fantastic!
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These muffins are one of my favorites from the book. And add to that – they are super easy to make.
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Ahh streusel! My one love. Wait. Also chocolate. Also brownies. Hmm,lets just say, one of my loves
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I made these last night to bring to work today. Not only are they beautiful, they are soooo yummy. I’ve been making lots of your recipes for work and they are always a hit. So, thank you!
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Michelle on September 13th, 2010 at 10:19 pm
Heather – So happy these were a hit! You’re welcome! Happy coworkers are… less cranky coworkers?
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Made these yesterday and wow — delicious!! I had leftover crumb topping and I snuck a spoonful straight ;] I think I could eat that on just about anything! Thanks for sharing, this is definitely on my keepers list!
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Michelle on September 20th, 2010 at 9:19 pm
I am a sucker for crumb topping, I always steal a couple of spoonfuls when baking
So happy you loved the muffins!
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I so adore muffins! They are the perfect breakfast any day of the week. I love your assistant. I have two of my own-both very furry
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ooh these look absolutely gorgeous! i’m such a breakfast muffin person and these look super easy and super delicious
andddddd i’m in a baking mood!! tfs 
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I just wanted to let you know that I made these, and blogged about them, and they were delicious! Thank you for posting the recipe!
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that was the most blend muffin i ever baked
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Made these muffins today, and the crumb topping melted while cooking. I’ve never seen this happen before. Any suggestions?
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Michelle on February 19th, 2013 at 8:15 pm
Make sure that the butter in the crumb topping is cold. If your kitchen is warm or if you overwork the topping too much, refrigerate it before topping and baking the muffins.
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I just made these and I love them! I took a few liberties though. I added some apple pie spice (it is my weakness!) and a chopped up apple. I want to eat them all for dinner now! I think next time I make these I’ll add a little whole wheat flour.
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Love these!! So did my family!! The muffin has a subtle taste and the struesel gives them a nice kick. And they’re great with a little vanilla icing drizzled over them!
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Kind of too sweet and greasy… ease up on the butter, but still delicious!
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