These vegan pumpkin muffins are so cozy and taste just like fall. Ground espresso also gives these muffins a special kick!

Fall mornings start with waking up to the pitter patter of rain against my window, feeling all warm and toasty under my heavy comforter, and being reluctant to change into ‘real clothes’ to leave the house. Instead of braving the wind and rain to attend a lecture where the professor just reads off the slides, I’d much rather spend the day at home baking muffins in my llama pajamas, eating said muffins hot from the oven with a cup of chai tea, reading a novel (not a textbook) and watch movies whilst wrapped in a fuzzy blanket. That’s pretty much what I do every weekend, so I guess what I’m trying to say is I’d like everyday to be the weekend. But then again, who doesn’t wish for that.

On the weekend, you need to make these vegan pumpkin muffins so you can still have a taste of bliss throughout the work week.

I’ve recently been on a muffin kick; every weekend all I want to do is bake muffins. My ideal weekend starts with a morning baking session, usually a batch of cookies, muffins, or cinnamon buns if I’m feeling ambitious. No baking day is complete without catchy tunes. My current favourite song is Michael Buble’s ‘I Believe in You’; it literally makes me want to dance and twirl around the kitchen but knowing me, that would end in a catastrophic mess. My flailing arms would probably knock a mixing bowl over and splatter flour all over the counter and floor. While the muffins are reaching golden brown perfection in the oven, I’ll get the urge to move out of my system with a PIIT workout (my favourite quick yet sweaty form of exercise). It also makes me feel like I ‘earned’ my muffin.

I love baking in the mornings. The whole kitchen is temporarily my territory and I can pivot around to grab ingredients without the fear of smashing into another human. It also makes breakfasts on the weekend more special. Instead of having my typical bowl of cereal or oatmeal, I get to have a fresh baked muffin! The feeling of ripping open a steaming vegan pumpkin muffin while the crumble is still crunchy cannot be beat. My mouth is salivating at the thought. I could eat these vegan pumpkin muffins everyday.

These vegan pumpkin muffins are wholesome and comforting. But the best part is probably the espresso walnut crumble. I adore textural contrasts in my food so the crunchy walnuts beautifully juxtapose the tender crumb of the muffin. The espresso is an unexpected surprise that’ll make your eyes pop open, perhaps literally if you’re sensitive to caffeine. The wee bit of espresso thrown into the crumble topping kind of makes the muffin taste like a pumpkin spice latte. It’s truly wonderful.

I’m very extra so my favourite way to eat these muffins is actually drowned in a big pumpkin smoothie bowl. Pumpkin on pumpkin is the way to live. Perhaps my eating habits are too eccentric for you, that’s fine you can enjoy your muffin with some coffee or tea. Regardless of how you will eat them, I’m certain you’ll fall (haha get it) for these cozy vegan pumpkin muffins.