Allspice Crumb Muffins (TWD)

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) recipe was chosen by Kayte of Grandma’s Kitchen Table: Allspice Crumb Muffins. I love anything with a crumb or streusel topping, so I knew right off the bat that I would like these. What I did not anticipate was exactly how much I would love these!

They seem pretty plain if you're just reading the recipe. A simple muffin with a crumb topping flavored with some allspice. I actually don't bake with allspice very often, at least not as the star ingredient, so I'm not too familiar with its flavor. Because I rarely bake with it, I didn't have any on hand, so I substituted 1/2 teaspoon cloves, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg based on the recommendations here.

Like most muffin recipes, this one comes together in just a few minutes and does not require a mixer. I followed Dorie's recipe to a "T," including how to make the crumb topping. I have to say that I was not a fan of this method, because it was hard to get nice big crumbs from it. Next time I will just cut the butter in using a pastry cutter to get nicer crumbs.

I baked my muffins in this pan so I didn't get nice muffin tops, but they still tasted great. I thought for a moment about just using cinnamon in place of the allspice, but I am so glad I didn't - I am sure that cinnamon muffins would be good too but I really enjoyed the allspice flavor. These kind of remind me of the coffee cake you can get at Starbucks, except much better.


Thanks Kayte for picking this recipe, I loved it. If you would like the recipe, you can find it here. Make sure you check out the TWD Blogroll, to see how everyone else enjoyed this perfect breakfast treat.

* Recipes notes:
- I would recommend cutting the butter into the crumb topping with either a pastry blender or two knives instead of doing it by hand.
- Don't have any allspice? Here is a link to the substitution, as well as many other common substitutions that will come in handy when you are baking.
- For more tips, click here.