Pecan Pie Muffins
Satisfy two cravings in one by combining two iconic baked goods: pecan pie and muffins. When you marry the fluffiness of a muffin with the chewiness of pecan pie filling, the results are pretty irresistible. Clocking in at just eight ingredients with a dump-and-stir method, there are no crusts to roll out or blind baking to do.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups pecan halves (about 6 ounces), plus 12 pecan halves for garnish
- 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons bourbon (optional)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Line a standard 12-well muffin tin with paper liners.
- Finely chop 1 1/2 cups pecan halves and place in a large bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar, 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Whisk until well combined.
- Melt 3 sticks unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add 3 large eggs, 2 tablespoons bourbon if using, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and whisk until combined. Add to the flour mixture and stir until just combined.
- Divide the batter between the wells of the muffin tin (they will be very full). Top each muffin with a pecan half.
- Bake until the muffins are golden-brown and a tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Place the pan on a wire rack and let the muffins cool for 10 minutes. Remove the muffins from the pan to the wire rack to cool completely.