Tuesday Tastings :: Coffeecake Muffin Tops

I’ve always had this thing with muffins…while I adore their crunchy golden-brown tops, I could totally leave the rest. Anyone with me here? My mom obviously knows me all too well since she gifted me with this genius “muffin top pan” for Christmas, allowing me to savor only the crispy crunchy goodness ’till my heart’s content. For a friend’s birthday brunch last weekend, I mixed up these coffeecake muffin tops that were delicately sweet, topped with crumbly brown sugar and pecan streusel. Not sure if they qualify as breakfast or dessert…but really, does it even matter? Follow the jump for the recipe.

Coffee Cake Muffin Tops

• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and softened
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Process nuts, brown sugar, and cinnamon in food processor until nuts are the size of sesame seeds, about ten 1-second pulses. Transfer mixture to medium bowl.

Return bowl and metal blade to food processor. Add flour, granulated sugar, and salt, and process until combined, about five 1-second pulses. Sprinkle butter evenly over flour mixture and process until butter is oat-sized, about eight 1-second pulses. Remove 1 cup of flour-butter mixture and stir with fork into reserved brown sugar mixture until combined to make streusel. Set aside 3/4 cup of streusel for muffin batter and remaining portion for topping muffins.

Add baking powder and baking soda to remaining flour mixture in food processor bowl and process until combined, about five 1-second pulses. Whisk together sour cream, egg, and vanilla in small bowl; add to flour mixture. Process until batter is just moistened, about five 1-second pulses. Add 3/4 cup reserved streusel to flour mixture and process until streusel is just distributed throughout batter, about five 1-second pulses.

Divide batter among 12 muffin cups (or 18 muffin top cups) and sprinkle with streusel, pressing lightly so that streusel sinks slightly into batter. Bake until toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out with several crumbs clinging to it, about 18 minutes, rotating pan from front to back halfway through baking time. Cool in muffin tin on wire rack 2 minutes. Using tip of paring knife, loosen muffins, and gently transfer them to wire rack. Cool five minutes.

Make Icing: Whisk confectioner’s sugar and 2 tablespoons water in a medium bowl until smooth. Spoon 2 tsp glaze over each muffin, letting glaze run down sides of muffins. Serve warm.

*recipe adapted from Baking Illustrated