Biscoff Streusel Pumpkin Muffins

Fall screams baking to me! How about you? I've been on a muffin kick lately and this recipe is just another product of my obsession with pumpkin puree. My pantry is full of it, dangerously full of it, so prepare yourself for more pumpkin-packed recipes in the future ;) Anyway, back to these bad boys. I originally share this recipe over at Lil' Luna a few weeks ago, but now I get to share it here with you. These muffins are a pumpkin/Biscoff/cream cheese lover's dream. I know that there's kind of a lot going on here, but trust me, it all works. Here's what I did- I started off by making a really simple spiced batter, then topped it with slices of cream cheese, and then sprinkled over it a chunky speculoos streusel. The cream cheese helps to bind the muffin and the topping together and gives it a tangy creamy component that it really needs. I decided to bake my muffins in a taller and larger cupcake liner so that they'd be more like bakery-style muffins, but you don't need to worry about them overflowing if you're using standard liners or even just spray. These have turned out to be one of my new favorite muffins, I hope you'll think the same too!

Biscoff Streusel Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients:

1½ c. all-purpose flour
1 c. sugar
¼ c. brown sugar
1 c. pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
2 eggs
¼ c. vegetable oil
¼ c. unsweetened applesauce
¼ c. water
¾ tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. vanilla extract

Streusel:

¼ c. sugar

¼ c. brown sugar

¼ c. all-purpose flour

¼ c. finely crushed Biscoff cookies

2 tbsp. Biscoff spread

3 tbsp. butter, cold

4 oz. original cream cheese, cold and cut into dime size slices

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line one standard size muffin pan with liners or grease with baking spray, set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer with mixing speed on low, combine sugars, puree, vegetable oil, applesauce, water, and vanilla extract. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until just combined.

3. In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and ground cinnamon. With mixing speed on low, gradually add in the dry ingredients, mixing until no flour pockets remain. Remove bowl from stand and set aside.

4. For the streusel, in a small mixing bowl combine sugars, flour, crushed cookies, and ground cinnamon. Using a pastry blender, cut in cold butter and Biscoff spread. Continue working the mixture with the pastry blender until it resembles chunks about the size of a rice krispie. 

5. Pour batter into prepared muffin pan, dividing evenly. Top with slices of cream cheese, then sprinkle streusel over top. You will want to be generous with the streusel, but you may have a few tablespoons left over. Gently pat the streusel into the batter to help it bake into the muffin. 

6. Place in oven and bake for 18-22 minutes or until the tops spring back and the streusel is golden brown in color (note: baking times may vary depending on how much you streusel you add and the heat of your oven). Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe adapted from Libby's Pumpkin Cranberry Bread | Makes 12 standard size muffins

Biscoff Peach Crisp

Ok folks, it's summer which means that it's crisp time! Let's start out with this one... Biscoff Peach Crisp. If it weren't for the fact that Stephen and I were taking this over to our friends for an after dinner dessert, we probably would have eaten the whole thing by ourselves... in one sitting... seriously. I had been dreaming about making this crisp for months, and now that it's finally peach season I told Stephen that we had to make it! I literally threw this together in a matter of minutes. It was a good thing Stephen wasn't watching at the time because I snuck in a few ingredients that he's less than keen on. #1 oats- but really, a crisp just wouldn't be a crisp without a few oats in the topping. #2 cinnamon- for some reason he's not a big fan of it, but the flavor here is just to enhance the sweetness of the peaches and brown sugar, it by no means overwhelms the crisp. And #3 Biscoff cookies- I crumbled them up and used them as part of the topping. He was smitten and so was I! We served it up with a nice big scoop of vanilla ice cream- talk about the perfect summer treat! Enjoy!

Biscoff Peach Crisp

Ingredients

5 ripe peaches, skin removed and sliced

3 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. cornstarch

¹⁄₈ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla

Topping:

⅔ c. all-purpose flour

⅓ c. old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking)

¼ c. sugar

¼ c. brown sugar

4 Biscoff cookies, crushed to your liking

6 tbsp. (¾ stick) butter, cold and cubed

¼ tsp. cinnamon

¹⁄₈ tsp. salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Set aside an 8x8 or 8x6 glass baking dish.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sliced peaches (don't slice them too thin), sugar, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla. Toss gently and allow to sit while preparing the topping.

3. To prepare the topping, in a medium size mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, sugar, brown sugar, crushed Biscoff cookies, cinnamon, and salt. Mix to combine. Using a pastry blender, cut in the cold butter. Mix until medium size clumps remain, about the size of dime, maybe a little bit smaller.

4. To assemble, pour the peaches into the baking dish, cover with topping. Place in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. Keep a careful eye on the top, making sure that it doesn't get too dark- if the peaches are not soft yet and the top is getting too dark, cover with foil. I didn't have a problem with mine, but all ovens are different!

5. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes before serving warm.

NOTE: For a 9x13 pan you will need to double the recipe.

Life Made Simple Original Recipe | Makes 4-6 servings

Biscoff Coffee Cake Muffins

Yesterday fall finally crept in. We woke up to a cold dark house. I stumbled into the kitchen, opened the shutters and was pleasantly surprised to see that the mountains had been dusted with snow. While Stephen packed up his things and headed out the door to school, I rummaged around the kitchen looking for something to eat. While waiting for my oatmeal to cook I decided to make a small batch of coffee cake muffins. I stirred in some Biscoff spread to give them that 'spiced' flavor that I love so much. Out they came and I gobbled them up along with the rest of my breakfast. These will definitely become a staple in our house this fall, alongside those pumpkin cinnamon rolls and apple pie muffins. Waking up and eating freshly baked goods is probably the best way to start the day!

Biscoff Coffee Cake Muffins

Ingredients
1¾ c. all-purpose flour

1 c. sugar

8 tbsp. (1 sticks) butter, room temperature

2 large eggs

1 c. sour cream
1½ tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla
3 tbsp. smooth Biscoff Spread

Topping:

½ c. all-purpose flour

¼ c. brown sugar

3 tbsp. butter, cold

1 tbsp. smooth Biscoff Spread
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 standard size muffin tins (you might have a few empty liners at the end, just take them out if that's the case). Set aside.
2. To prepare topping, combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut in Biscoff Spread and butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter, sugar and sour cream until smooth and fluffy. Add vanilla, cinnamon and one egg. Mix until incorporated. Add the last egg, mix just until incorporated.
4. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With mixing speed on low, gradually add dry ingredients. When mixture is combined, remove 1 c. of batter. Place into a small bowl and add in Biscoff spread.
5. Divide batter between cupcake liners. Fill each ½ way full with normal batter. Scoop a dollop of Biscoff batter on top and swirl (this should make it so the liners are ⅔ - ¾ of the way full). Generously sprinkle each with crumble topping. Place in oven and bake for 22-25 minutes or until the top begins to brown.
6. Remove from oven and let muffins cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove muffins and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking, Sour Cream Coffee Cake | Makes approximately 18 standard size muffins

Biscoff Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Ever since I made those Biscoff cupcakes, I've been thinking of ways to incorporate the spread into other treats. Since it has such a nice sweet and spiced flavor to it, I thought it would be the perfect little kick in some oatmeal raisin cookies. When I was making the dough, I started off by adding a few tablespoons and then quickly realized that in order to really taste it I needed to add a few more. I'm glad I did! Don't be alarmed by the shape of these as they do not bake flat. They're puffy with crunchy exteriors and have centers that are moist and full of juicy raisins (think scone-like). They'd be perfect for an early morning snack or a late night treat. Enjoy!

Biscoff Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Ingredients
1½ c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar, packed
14 tbsp. (1 ¾ sticks) butter, room temperature
½ c. Biscoff spread
2 eggs
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. vanilla
¼ tsp. nutmeg
¼ tsp. cinnamon
3 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
1 ½ c. raisins

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a medium size mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, baking powder and salt. Whisk together and set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together butter, Biscoff spread and sugars until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition until combined. Add vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon. Mix until incorporated.
4. With mixing speed on low, gradually add in dry ingredients. Once combined, remove bowl from stand and fold in raisins.
5. Using a large cookie scoop, place 2" balls of dough approximately 2" apart from each other on the prepared sheet. Slightly pat down with the palm of your hand or the bottom of a glass cup. Place in oven and bake for 20-22 minutes, rotating the sheet half way through the baking process. Do not over bake!
6. Remove from oven and let cool on pan for 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Adapted from The New Best Recipe, Chewy Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies | Makes approximately 20 large cookies

Biscoff Gourmet Cupcakes

One of my favorite things about flying on Delta is getting those addicting Biscoff cookies mid-flight. Usually Stephen and I will eat them in a matter of minutes, but during this past trip I had multiple connections, enabling me to build up a little stash. I know I'm not the only one who has thought of ways to use these cookies, but since we also have Biscoff spread, I thought I'd try making cupcakes with Biscoff flavored buttercream. When I mentioned making these to Stephen he seemed skeptical. After taking a bite of one, he was hooked and I was smitten! What's not to love?

Biscoff Gourmet Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 c. all-purpose flour

¾ c. sugar

¼ c. brown sugar

½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 eggs

½ c. + 2 tbsp. sour cream
3 tbsp. whole milk

½ c. Biscoff spread (creamy*)

¼ c. Biscoff cookies, crumbled

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

¼ tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. cinnamon

Biscoff buttercream frosting:

½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

⅓ c. Biscoff spread

1½ tsp. vanilla extract

¹⁄₈ tsp. salt

1½ c. powdered sugar

1½ - 2 tbsp. heavy cream

Topping:

Biscoff cookies for garnish

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
2. In a medium size mixing bowl, add flour, salt and baking soda, whisk to combine. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together butter, sugars, sour cream and Biscoff spread. With mixing speed on low, add eggs one at a time until incorporated.  Add milk, vanilla, cinnamon, mix.
4. Add dry ingredients just until combined, about 30 seconds. Remove bowl from stand and fold in cookie pieces.
5. Scoop batter into prepared pan, filling each liner ¾ of the way full. Place in oven and bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove and place on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and allow to cool completely (25-30 minutes).
6. While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare buttercream frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the softened butter and biscoff spread on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract and mix well.
7. Turn speed to low and being to add the powdered sugar (it will look like bread dough). Once the powdered sugar is added, pour the milk a little bit at a time, while mixer is on. Mix until combined. Add milk until the frosting reaches desired consistency (it should be rather stiff). Beat on medium-high speed for 4-6 minutes until fluffy. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired.
* I was unable to find creamy at my local supermarkets, so I used crunchy. Only the texture of the frosting will change if using crunchy.
Stephen + Natalie | Makes approximately 12 cupcakes / frosting for 12 cupcakes