Coffee-Cake Muffins

It was typical Saturday morning at our home... everybody can wake up as lazy as they want. This is the only morning of the week that we can do that.
What about Sunday morning? No..no... We go to Church, after all busy activities during the weekdays.

So... what's for breakfast in Saturday morning? Hhmmm the choice must be something easy and fast to prepare. On last weekend, the choice was pastry breakfast ... Muffin!
That time I decided to try a recipe from Martha Stewart Magazine.

As we know, baking muffin is a simple job in kitchen. Simply mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. No require mixer, fancy kitchen appliance or any special skills. Just prepare the ingredients and mixed them as quickly and lightly as possible, only stirring to moisten it. If you overmix the batter, tough muffins can be a hard lesson.

Don't forget to read through the recipe before you begin, so that you have all the chopping, grating and blending done before you start mixing the ingredients.
For this muffin... I'm so happy with the result.

... The aroma of the spice offers warmest morning greeting to my family.

Coffee-Cake Muffins
Source : Martha Stewart Living Magazine, April 2004 (Easy Entertaining-Brunch)
Make 10
You can bake the muffins up to a week ahead of time. Let them cool completely, then wrap in plastic wrap and freeze in resealable plastic bags. Warm thawed muffin, wrapped in foil, in a 300 degree(F) oven, eight to ten minutes. Alternatively, make the streusel and mix the wet ingredients up to two days in advance; refrigerate. The dry ingredients and cinnamon sugar can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature.

For the Cinnamon Sugar:
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

For the Streusel:
1/4 cup pecan halves (1 1/8 ounces) ~I used 1/4 cup chopped cashew.
3 tbsp light or dark brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 tsp all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp cold unsalted butter

For the Dry Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
a few graings of whole nutmeg

For the Wet Ingredients:
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk
8 tbsp (1 stick) butter (~112 gr) , melted plus more for tin

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Stir together the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl; set aside. Butter 10 cups of a standard non-stick muffin tin; set aside.

2. Make Streusel: Spread out pecans on a baking sheet. Toast in oven, shaking occasionally, until crisp and fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely.

3. Raise oven temperature to 375 degree F. Put brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and flour in a medium bowl. Blend in butter with your fingertips until well combined. Crumble pecans into small pieces; work into streusel with fingertips until combined. Cover and refrigerate.

4. Combine dry ingredient: Sift flour, baking powder, salt , granulated sugar, and spices into a large bowl; set aside.

5. Combine dry ingredients: Whisk together eggs, vanilla, and milk in a seperate large bowl. Whisk in melted butter.

6. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients; fold with a rubber spatula until combined. Spoon batter into buttered cups, filling each less than one-third full. Gently press batter into a even layer.

7. Divide reserved streusel among cups, then to with remaining batter. Sprinkle with reserved cinnamon sugar. Fill any empty cups in the tin halfway with water. Bake muffin until puffed and golden brown, about 18 minutes.

8. Let cool slightly in tin, 5-10 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack; let cool a few minutes more before serving warm.