Kicking Off Fall Baking Season...Featuring Glazed Maple-Pumpkin Muffins #pumpkinlover #muffins #fallbaking #muffins

The calendar may SAY that it's Fall...but it's still pretty warm here in Texas. That said, we're doing our best to speed up the arrival of cooler weather by baking up a few delicious Fall treats. Today, I'm sharing Glazed Maple-Pumpkin Muffins. They feature maple syrup and warm spices in the batter...and in the easy homemade glaze. If you love all things pumpkin, you definitely need to give these moist, yummy muffins a try! They're perfect paired with a hot cup of tea...or your favorite pumpkin spice latte.

These muffins will put you in a Fall frame of mind from the first bite...even if Mother Nature hasn't received the memo where you're located either!

Glazed Maple-Pumpkin Muffins

adapted from Eating Well Magazine

Ingredients (makes 6 large muffins):

Dry Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 TBS cinnamon
• 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Wet Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup 
• 1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree -- NOT pumpkin pie filling
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 TBS pure vanilla extract

Glaze Ingredients:

• 2 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 TBS pure maple syrup 
• For garnish: pecan halves

Directions:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350℉. Place paper/parchment liners in the wells of a six-cup muffin tin -- this is the best way to ensure the muffins don't stick! Add the whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice to a large bowl. Whisk to combine the dry ingredients.

Step 2: Place the maple syrup, pumpkin puree, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract in a smaller mixing bowl. Whisk until completely combined. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour in the liquid mixture. Whisk for 1 minute, until the batter ingredients are completely incorporated.

Step 3: Divide the muffin batter evenly into six muffin liners. Tap the muffin tin on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles. Bake the muffins until a toothpick inserted comes out clean -- approximately 20 minutes. Let the finished muffins cool completely before glazing and serving -- which ensures a perfectly glazed muffin!

Step 4: While the muffins cool, make the glaze. Add the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and the tablespoon of maple syrup to a small bowl. Whisk until a thick glaze is formed, with no visible clumps of sugar. Spoon an even amount of glaze on top of each cooled muffin. Use a butter knife to evenly spread the glaze. Finally, top each muffin with a toasted pecan half.

These muffins were a huge hit at my house! The muffin base is lightly sweet thanks to subbing maple syrup for granulated sugar. The sweet glaze nicely echoes the cinnamon and maple flavors in the muffin -- the visible specks of cinnamon are a nice visual touch too. Feel free to sprinkle a few pumpkin seeds -- aka pepitas -- on top of the glaze in place of pecans if you prefer. I hope you'll give these Fall-inspired pumpkin muffins a try in your kitchen soon!