Coffeecake Muffins...

At the baby shower last week, there was a little girl eying the food table...she pointed to a basket of muffins and asked what kind they were, I said, "They're coffeecake muffins and they're very good!"  She wrinkled up her nose and said, "Coffee is bad for you!"  I quickly explained that no coffee was used in the making of these muffins and then she wanted to know why they were called that...so I went on with my explanation..."...because people eat them in the morning with their coffee."  To which she replied, in a more agitated tone, "Coffee is bad for you!"  I gave up.  She was 6 and she had me.

These muffins have a rich, buttery taste and a sweet streusel topping that makes them downright addictive!  I made mini-muffins so I could feel good about eating 3 or 4 of them...and I had no guilt whatsoever because they were so good and I had convinced myself that I deserved them!  Every girl needs a little streusel every now and then...feel free to quote me on that! 

Coffeecake Muffins - Adapted From Baking Illustrated

1/2 cup pecans

1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 stick butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and softened a bit

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup sour cream

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin and set aside (or use cupcake papers).  (I used a mini-muffin tin, which made 24 muffins.)  In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, process the nuts, brown sugar, and cinnamon until the nuts are the size of sesame seeds, about ten 1-second pulses.  Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and set aside. 

Return the bowl and metal blade to the food processor, add the flour, granulated sugar and salt and process until combined, about five 1-second pulses.  Sprinkle the butter evenly over the flour mixture and process until the butter is the size of oats, about eight 1-second pulses.  Remove 1/2 cup of the flour-butter mixture and stir it with a fork into the reserved brown sugar mixture until combined to make the streusel.  Set aside 3/4 cup of the streusel for the muffin batter and the remaining portion for topping the muffins.

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

Using a large spoon sprayed with nonstick cooking spray to prevent sticking, divide the batter among the 12 muffin cups (or the 24 mini-muffin cups).  Sprinkle a scant tablespoon of streusel on top of each muffin, pressing lightly so the streusel sinks slightly into the batter.  Bake the muffins until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out with several crumbs clinging to it, about 18 minutes.  Avoid over-baking.  Place the muffin tin on a wire rack and allow the muffins to cool in the tin for 2 minutes.   Using the tip of a paring knife, loosen the muffins and gently transfer them from the tin to the wire rack.  Cool for 5 minutes.  Serve warm. 

"There's no such thing as fun for the whole family."  ~ Jerry Seinfeld