Pumpkin Pecan Apple Muffins

October would not be October without pumpkins. The combination of pecans and pumpkins goes so well together , once you have tried these muffins you will see why! I miss making these muffins at The Little Bird. My muffins became such a hit I started to obsess over new recipes daily.. It was one of the highlights of The Little Bird for me because before this time I had never really considered making muffins. Once I got started I couldn't stop and the pay off on how well they were received was priceless.
One of my tricks to getting those lovely muffin tops was to heat the oven to 450' , then bake the muffins at this very high temperature for around 3 to 4 minutes. The hot air plumps up the tops! Immediately bring down the temperature to 350' and then allow to bake the rest of the time at the low temperature.
Try and enjoy while they are still warm from the oven!
The smell coming from the kitchen will be enough incentive to make these almost every single day!

Start by poaching one apple until a knife can easily go through it. Then set aside to cool down


Mix wet ingredients together:
3/4 cup of extra virgin coconut oil
3/4 cup of pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/4 cup of apple butter

Mix dry ingredients together:
1 cup of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of baking powder
2 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of clove
poached apple cut into cubes

Topping ( set aside till 5 minutes before the muffins are done!)
1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup of pecans
1 teaspoon on cinnamon
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 tablespoon of maple syrup

Combine wet and dry ingredients together and blend with hands without over mixing.
Bake in the oven at 450 for 3 to 4 minutes and then at 350 for about another 20 to 25 minutes minutes or until the center is dry. You can check the center with a toothpick.
Just before the muffins are ready roughly 5 minutes before , add a spoonful of topping to each one and put back in the oven for the remaining time.

Enjoy these treats, The customers of The Little Bird sure did and I couldn't make them fast enough!
Hope the put a smile on your face as they did mine!