While I like pumpkin as much as anybody, I reserve my love for butternut. I love it for its delicate flavor, and the way it’s enhanced and furthered by my favorite ingredients, honey and cinnamon. In these muffins, the squash batter is barely spiced so that the honey & butternut really come through. They would be really delicious on their own with just a sprinkling of raw sugar…but if you’re feeling like you need a little extra, there is really no beating the coffee-cake effect of streusel + glaze!!
Honey-Butternut Squash Muffins
yields 1 dozen
Muffins:
125 g (1/2 c + 1 T) unsalted butter, room temp
100 g (1/2 c) sugar
1 T honey
1 egg, room temperature
113 g (1/2 c) butternut squash puree
1 60 g (1 1/3 c) all-purpose flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
pinch of cinnamon
60 g (1/4 c) whole milk, room temp
Streusel:
(1 3/4 c) all-purpose flour
(3/4 c) light brown sugar
1 1/4 t cinnamon
pinch of cardamom
1 t salt
60 g (1/2 c) lightly toasted slivered or sliced almonds
171 g (3/4 c, 1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, cold & cubed
Glaze:
113 g (1/2 c) confectioners’ sugar
2 t honey
1 T lukewarm water, plus more if needed
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 F, and line a muffin tin with liners. Make the streusel: add all ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer except the butter, and whisk by hand to break up the brown sugar. Add the cold, cubed butter and mix on low speed with the paddle attachment until the streusel begins to clump together. Transfer to another dish, cover, and keep refrigerated until ready to bake.
Make the muffins: Wipe out the mixing bowl from any streusel remnants, and on medium speed, cream together the butter, sugar, and honey until extremely light and fluffy, about 5-10 minutes. Scrape down the bowl as needed to ensure it’s mixed evenly. Add the egg, and mix well, stopping to scrape down the bowl and mixing again to ensure homogeneity.
Add 1/2 of the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and on low speed, add the milk in a steady stream. Scrape down the sides again and add the remaining flour, being careful not to over-mix.
Scoop about 1/4 c of muffin batter into each muffin liner, and top with a generous handful of streusel (scant 1/4 c streusel per muffin). Bake for about 25 minutes, or until muffin top feels relatively firm to the touch when pressed, or when a toothpick/skewer comes out with no crumbs attached. Take out and let cool before adding the glaze.
Make the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients until a thick glaze forms, adding more confectioners’ sugar or water as necessary to achieve a consistency that will set atop the muffins but still drip a little bit down the sides (test by gauging how it drips off a spoon). Drizzle atop the muffins and let set a minute (or not!) before enjoying!
