• ▢
  Preheat oven to 425°F (218 °C) with a shelf ready in the middle and grease or line a 12 hole muffin pan. The temperature is not a mistake. We want the oven that high.

For the streusel

• ▢
  First make the streusel - To a medium bowl add the cooled melted butter, brown sugar and white/cane sugar. Stir to combine. Add the flour (and optional chopped pecans) to the butter mixture and using a fork (do not use a spoon or spatula), gently toss everything together to form a mix of sandy, small, medium and large clumps, making sure to incorporate all of the dry flour. Put it in the fridge while you make the muffin batter.

For the muffins

• ▢
  To a medium bowl, add the pumpkin puree, sugar, milk, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Stir well to combine
• ▢
  To a large bowl add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground flax, pumpkin spice and salt. Whisk to combine.
• ▢
  Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and gently fold together until you can't see any dry flour. Do not over-mix. Once the wet and dry ingredients are mixed together it is important to work as fast as you can. The quicker you are the more the muffins will rise in the oven.
• ▢
  Fill the muffin wells right to the top with the batter. You should get 11 or 12 muffins depending on your pan. Don't worry, they won't overflow because of my high temperature trick ;O)
• ▢
  Remove the streusel from the fridge and sprinkle a really generous amount over the top of each muffin. Press it in just a little with your fingers then get the muffins straight in the oven. Don't leave them hanging around.
• ▢
  Bake for 5 mins then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175 °C) WITHOUT OPENING THE DOOR and bake for another 16 to 17 minutes or until the muffins look golden, well risen and a skewer, sharp knife or toothpick inserted into the middle of one comes out clean
• ▢
  Remove from the oven and leave for 10 minutes in the pan before gently transferring to a wire rack.

For the glaze

• ▢
  Once the muffins are cool, put the powdered sugar in a small bowl. Add the maple syrup a small drop at a time, mixing well as you go to work out lumps, then slowly add very small drops of milk until a very thick, but drizzle-able glaze is formed. You will not need nearly as much milk as you think you will. The amount is very, very small. No more than a couple of tablespoons. That's why it's important to add it very gradually. If you do accidentally add a little too much juice, add a few more tablespoons of powdered sugar to thicken it up again.
• ▢
  Using a teaspoon, drizzle the glaze all over the top of the muffins allowing some to drip down the sides. The more rustic the better!