pumpkin pecan muffins

This recipe comes from the cookbook Food to Live By, written by Myra Goodman (owner of The Earthbound Organic Farm). I have loved every recipe I've tried from it and recommend purchasing it so you have all her healthy, delicious recipes.

makes 15 muffins, so you need 2 muffin tins...either two 12 cup ones (leave the ones you don't need to fill bare) or a 12 cup tin plus a 6 cup tin (leaving the one remaining spot bare). likewise, you can bake these in 2 batches if you only own one muffin tin.

preheat oven to 375 degrees.

mix the streusel topping in a medium bowl:

1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 Tbs cold butter, cut into small pieces

using a pastry blender, two forks or your fingers, blend the above til it's crumbly and combined.

mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl:

1 2/3 cups all purpose flour (i use whole wheat pastry flour for at least a cup of it)
1 Tbs baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp each: ground allspice, nutmeg, cardamom and cinnamon
stir the above together, then add
3/4 cups chopped pecans

wet ingredients, medium sized bowl:

3 large eggs
4 Tbs melted butter (i use canola oil or applesauce)
2 tsp orange zest
1 can pumpkin puree (15 oz)
2 1/4 cups sugar

whisk to combine well.

add wet ingredients to dry, just til combined.
spoon into muffin tins, filling almost to the brim of each cup.
sprinkle streusel topping over each muffin.
bake til golden brown, 20-30 minutes til they pass the toothpick test of doneness.
cool 10 minutes on a rack before removing from tins.