Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

Who wants to write about nihilism when the sun is shining, the sky is cloudless, and it's a Saturday! Pick me, pick me! Just kidding. But you know what, if that sounds like a perfect weekend activity to you, that's cool I guess. I'm not a very good nihilist. Too many meanings in the world, and not just ones I created. Nietzsche would shake his head at me. I don't mind. 

Say hello to my little friend.

This day could only get more glorious if I had one of those giant outdoor ovens. Y'know, like this. If you have a ton of money just sitting around, feel free to finance my extravagant dreams, haha. Anyway. If I had an outdoor oven,  I would make a loaf of bread right here in this patch of grass and eat it when it was still way too hot. I'd burn my mouth and it would be so worth it. 

Instead, I'll just have to eat one of these pumpkin muffins I made last night. They're a pretty good consolation prize, y'know, when you can't have bread fresh out of a brick oven. No, they're excellent just as they are! I like them because they use a whole can of pumpkin (so many recipes use an awkward amount and I end up wasting the rest!). Also, they have a crumbly top. I'll eat anything if you put crumb topping on it. 

Pumpkin Streusel Muffins 
adapted ever so slightly from Gimme Some Oven

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 cup sugar
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
 
Cinnamon Streusel Topping
2 Tbsp. butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
2 tsp. cinnamon 

To Make The Cinnamon Streusel Topping:

Use a fork or your fingers to mix together all of the ingredients until they are evenly combined and crumbly. 

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 16-18 baking cups with liners, or mist with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger) until blended.

In a different large bowl, whisk together all remaining ingredients (pumpkin, butter, eggs, vanilla) until well combined. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients, and stir until just combined.

Fill the baking cups with the batter until they are each 2/3 full. Top with a tablespoon or so of the crumbled streusel topping. Then bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean.

The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place.

The tsunami in Japan has me a little shaken. I have friends in school with families over over there, and I can't begin to imagine what they're going through. It's weird, because people on one side of the world could be completely oblivious to the suffering going on on the other side. 

It just puts everything in perspective for me. Makes day to day problems seem so petty. I think people need to stop focusing on themselves so much (hey, it's something I'm totally guilty of doing myself). Instead of complaining and wallowing in self pity, stop, think about what you're doing, and then focus your energy on something productive you can do for someone else. 

Why do I bake? Why is this trivial little thing so important in my life? I enjoy creating something out of nothing, but more so, I like making people happy. There are different ways to change the world. When someone is having a bad day, going out of your way to offer someone a warm cookie and a kind word can mean a lot. Speaking from experience.

I stayed at a friend's house this weekend, getting supplies for our upcoming community service trip this spring break. I was so grateful to his parents for opening their house to me, and letting me use their kitchen to make some muffins. They never fail...so if you need a self esteem boost, or know someone who does, these are the way to go. You may notice some changes over here at A Dusting of Sugar. More words, more thoughts. Hope you enjoy. 

Best Banana Muffins Ever

adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 bananas, mashed
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 peanut butter chips (optional) 
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg, vanilla and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Stir in chips. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
3. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.