For those of you that know me well, know that I don’t bake. Maybe 2-3 times a year I try but it’s honestly not my strong suit. I also don’t have much of a sweet tooth so I rarely see the point of making the effort. 

But there is something about the holiday season that pulls at my desire to make sweets. I also hate passing up the opportunity to buy all the exciting gluten free baking mixes that were not around when I went gluten free 15 years ago. I can still remember the time when my mom and I would hand knead 5 different types of flours to make some knock off version of bread every week. Now, “gluten free” is everywhere… I mean, Red Lobster Cheddar Biscuit Mix has a gluten version now! If that doesn’t scream mainstream, I don’t know what else would. 

I digress. All I can say is that when I see Trader Joe’s pumping out gluten free pumpkin bread mix, I can’t help myself. I feel a strong pull to buy it because I CAN. 

But I also know that if I am going to put in the effort to bake, I want it to be EXTRA. So I have been making these pumpkin spice crumble muffins to up the ante and truly indulge in all the delicious fall flavors: bourbon, pecan, cinnamon, pumpkin. They are super simple to make and will make your taste buds explode! Good luck eating just one!

INGREDIENTS

1 box Trader Joe’s Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffin Mix

3 tbsp. butter

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup crushed pecans (or omit if allergic to nuts)

2 tsp. bourbon vanilla extract

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. pumpkin spice

1 tsp. salt

Serving Size: 10-14 muffins

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 400F.
• Mix the muffins according to the box instructions and pour into a lined muffin tin. 
• Before baking, cube the butter into small squares.
• Using your hands, mix and crumble the butter with brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, and salt.
• Top muffin mix with sugar topping.
  • *Note, don’t over fill the tins, the topping will melt over so leave ½ in space at the top for the muffin to puff up. This could result in enough batter for more than 12 muffins.
• Bake for 20 minutes. 
• Let cool and enjoy!