Black Bottom Pumpkin Spice Crumb Topped Muffins

This time of year is just not complete without pumpkin muffins. Maybe this will become an annual thing for me, last year it was pumpkin doughnut muffins dipped in chocolate and the year before it was pumpkin pudding muffins which I frequently still mentally drool over and sweet potato cupcakes now they’re crumb topped! YES I did say crumb topped, if I could add a crumble topping to everything I honestly think I would. I called these black bottomed because I’m not really sure how else to describe these in less than a really long sentence, I realise black bottom cupcakes are something entirely different and these don’t involve cream cheese of any kind, actually they’re completely dairy free but these do technically have black bottoms. If you were misled am I forgiven? Because instead you get a layer of chocolaty goodness at the bottom of your seasonal crumb topped muffins and I don’t know how you could be upset at me for that, I’m ticking every box in the “perfect muffins chart” – that should be a thing. Have I talked these muffins up enough yet? Because really all that’s left is us drooling over them and actually making them, although obviously I’ve already made them, I get to eat them while you drool over them. Happy muffin making!

Muffins 150g dark chocolate 240 ml/1 cup milk, I used akmond 60 ml/¼ cup vegetable oil 1 egg 130g/ ½ cup pumpkin puree 305g/2 ¼ cups plain flour 195g/ ¾ cup sugar 2 tsp baking powder Pinch of salt 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon ¾ tsp ground ginger ¾ tsp ground nutmeg

Crumb topping 55g/ ¼ cup butter/margarine 85g/ ⅔ cup plain flour 55g/ ¼ cup demerara sugar

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas mark 6 and line a muffin tray. First make the crumble topping by rubbing the flour and sugar into the butter using your fingertips and set aside once the crumb has formed. Roughly chop the chocolate and place at the bottom of the muffin cases then set aside. In a large bowl whisk together the milk, oil, egg and pumpkin puree. Mix in the flour, sugar, baking powder, spices and salt until a batter forms. Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases on top of the chocolate, top with the crumble topping and bake in a preheated oven for 18-22 minutes. Makes 12