Coffee Pecan Muffins

What a great muffin for a morning breakfast!

Brown sugar, pecans and strong coffee (you can use espresso too) flavor these energy-filled muffins.  Topped with more pecans and demerara sugar for added yum factor.  Demerara sugar can be found in the baking aisle of larger supermarkets, but if your store does not carry it, try a health-food store or “Sugar in the Raw” may be substituted–the large grain.  As a last resort, large crystal sugar may be used, but some flavor will be sacrificed.

This was originally a European recipe from Silvana Franco, so I’ve left it metric weights.  If you have a digital kitchen scale, no problem–set it to grams.  If you don’t have one, here is a site that gives standard conversions.  However, I cannot vouch for the results as sometimes there is no exact conversion and I don’t recommend it, so caveat emptor if you do!  I actually find weighing is faster and more accurate on all recipes, and I’d like to see it implemented in the US.

This will produce an old-fashioned type muffin, meaning it will be denser than the “store bought” we have lately gotten used to eating–the ones that are essentially cake.  It’s texture is much like a steamed banana bread.  And like old-fashioned muffins, they should be eaten the same day and they are not overly sweet.

Preheat oven to 400 F/200 C


Line a 12-cup muffin tin with parchment or paper liners.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, light brown sugar, pecans and baking powder.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, melted butter.  Stir in the vanilla, milk and coffee.

Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix, being careful not to over-mix.


Spoon mixture into prepared pan.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until tester comes out clean.  Remove to rack to cool.