From the new book Muffins (Gibbs Smith Books, 2022) by Cyndi Duncan and Georgie Patrick, this straightforward recipe yields lovely spiced breakfast treats, good any time of the year. They would pair nicely with a cup of coffee or tea first thing in the day or in the afternoon for a treat.

Makes 18 Muffins

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour, divided
• 1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup butter or margarine
• 1 cup chopped walnuts, divided
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk or sour milk
• 2 eggs, beaten

Instructions

Make the Muffins:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In medium bowl, combine 2 cups flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter to make fine crumbs.

3. In small bowl, combine 3/4 cup of the crumbs and 1/4 cup of the walnuts. Set aside.

4. Into remaining crumb mixture, stir in remaining 1 cup of flour, baking powder, nutmeg, ginger, baking soda, salt, and remaining 3/4 cup walnuts.

5. In another small bowl, combine buttermilk and eggs and stir into dry ingredients just to moisten. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Top each with a generous spoonful of reserved crumb-nut mixture.

6. Bake for 20–25 minutes or until springy to the touch. Cool for 5 minutes and remove from pan.