Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

YAY my first blog posting ever!  I thought I’d start out with my most recent favorite recipe, despite the lack of glitter and ribbons!  This past month I have been a pumpkin cooking monster- making everything from pumpkin puree to pies to steel cut oatmeal.  However, the best recipe that came from this pumpkin craze was pumpkin cream cheese muffins.  These muffins are out of this world.  They give the Starbucks pumpkin cream cheese muffin a serious run for their money.  Although this muffin has the cream cheese center, if you’re not a fan of the cream cheese gooey yumminess, you could leave it out for a fabulous not too plain pumpkin muffin.  The recipe makes 24 muffins.  You are most likely thinking “oh I’ll half it since I don’t know if they’re good yet.” Well don’t!  The 24 muffins will be gone way too fast.  Also these muffins take a bit of time between prepping and making so plan ahead. 

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Ingredients:

For the filling:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

For the muffins:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tsp. ground cloves

1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp. baking soda

4 large eggs

2 cups sugar

2 cups pumpkin puree (1 can)

1¼ cups vegetable oil

For the topping:

¼ cup sugar

2-3 tbsp. flour

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Directions:

To prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl and mix well until blended and smooth.  Transfer the mixture to a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a log about 1½-inches in diameter.  Try not to get the entire piece of plastic wrap covered in the filling because it will get all stuck together.  Smooth the plastic wrap tightly around the log.  Then wrap the log in tin foil so that it will be sturdier.  Transfer to the freezer and chill until at least slightly firm, at least 2 hours.

To make the muffins, preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line muffin pans with paper liners.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, and baking soda; whisk to blend.  In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree and oil.  Mix on medium-low speed until blended.  With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.  

To make the topping, combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl; whisk to blend.  Add in the butter pieces and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender until the mixture is coarse and crumbly.  I don’t have a pastry blender but if you use two forks or two butter knives it works fine.  Transfer to the refrigerator until ready to use.

To assemble the muffins, fill each muffin well with a small amount of batter: just enough to cover the bottom of the liner.

Slice the log of cream cheese filling into 24 equal pieces.  If you only have one muffin pan then cut the log in half (through the tin foil) leaving one half in the freezer and cutting the other half into 12 pieces.
Place a slice of the cream cheese mixture into each muffin well.  Divide the remaining batter among the muffin cups, placing on top of the cream cheese to cover completely.  Sprinkle a small amount of the topping mixture over each of the muffin wells.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and try your best to resist the temptation and let them cool.

I hope you enjoy these muffins as much as we did! Let me know if you 

have questions or suggestions!

 








Source: Annie's Eats