Coffeecake Muffins

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These muffins have made their way into my oven a few times over the last couple months. A hit with my family and again with co-workers. Cooks Illustrated definitely got this recipe right. The delicate taste of cinnamon and pecans in the batter really makes this muffin shine. This recipe can easily be prepared in the food processor, but if a food processor is not available to you the batter can also be stirred by hand or mixed in a stand mixer. Perfect breakfast treat with a mug of hot chocolate, coffee, or even milk.


Coffeecake Muffins
as seen on Cook's Illustrated

Ingredients
1/2 cup (2 oz) pecans
1/4 cup (1 3/4 oz) packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups (10 oz) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup (7 oz) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" pieces and softened
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup sour cream
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 12-cup muffin tin and set aside.
2 Process nuts, brown sugar, and cinnamon in food processor until nuts are the size of sesame seeds, about ten 1-second pulses. Transfer mixture to medium bowl.
3. Return bowl and metal blade to food processor, add flour, granulated sugar, and salt and process until combined, about five 1-second pulses. Sprinkle butter evenly over flour mixture and process until butter is oat-sized, about eight 1-second pulses. Remove 1 cup of the flour-butter mixture and stir with fork into reserved brown sugar mixture until combined to make streusel. Set aside 3/4 cup pf streusel for muffin batter and remaining portion for topping muffins.
4. Add baking powder and baking soda to remaining flour mixture in food processor bowl and process until combined, about five 1-second pulses. Whisk together sour cream, egg, and vanilla; add to flour mixture. Process until batter is just moistened, about five 1-second pulses. Add 3/4 cup reserved streusel to flour mixture and process until just distributed throughout batter, about five 1-second pulses.
5. Divide batter among 12 muffin cups and sprinkle with streusel, pressing lightly so that streusel sinks slightly into batter. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out with several crumbs clinging to it, about 18 minutes, rotating pan from front to back halfway through baking time. Cool muffin tin on wire rack for 2 minutes. Using tip of paring knife, loosen muffins gently transfer from tin to wire rack; cool for 5 minutes and serve warm.