As our families launch into fall and all the busy yet cozy times that come with it, we definitely find ourselves craving (dare we say it?) pumpkin spice everything. Stop for a pumpkin spice latte? Yes! Whirl up a boozy pumpkin spice milkshake? Perfect! And, while these muffins might not feature “spice” in the name, trust us — they’re full of the stuff.

In fact, we whisk in all the classics — cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger — plus turmeric for a little extra-sunny warmth. The muffins are also made with pumpkin, wheat flour, maple syrup, brown sugar and brown butter, so they’re hearty, lightly sweet and unbelievably moist. We love the subtle, nutty depth the brown butter adds. Basically, they’re everything we want in a pumpkin muffin and nothing we don’t. Read: our kids are pretty happy we’ve skipped the raisins and nuts.

It’s such a treat to wake up to a tray of fresh pumpkin muffins. They taste amazing with a pat of salted butter spread over them, and they might be our favorite grab-and-go breakfast. We’d definitely tuck them into the kids’ lunchboxes. But they’re also our favorite for long fall weekends at the cabin — all that pumpkin and spice makes a delightful pairing with cool northern air and tastes especially nice after an invigoratingly cold swim or a challenging hike — and before a nap!  

Recipe adapted from NYT