Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffins

You may remember that I love pumpkin.  Especially pumpkin muffins. I used to make them all of the time.  A cake mix, a bag of cinnamon chips, a can of pumpkin.

That was it.

Except those cinnamon chips...they have dyes in them.  Evil dyes (at least for one of my kids).

And the cake mix? Full of preservatives/artificials...which we also cannot have.

So my pumpkin muffin baking days came to an end.

However, I find myself STILL craving some pumpkin muffins.

So not long ago I did a recipe search.

And I happened upon this.

So a couple nights ago, I decided to just make them.  (I baked them at night since they would take a while.  I have been keeping them in the fridge, and we heat them in the microwave as needed)

And they are rather tasty.

Not as easy or as simple as the ones I used to make, but that hasn't stopped me from eating them.  I mean, these have a crumb coating. You can't go wrong with that!

Ingredients:
Filling
8 oz cream cheese block (softened)
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Note-While the cream cheese definitely adds to this muffin, next time I will probably halve all of these ingredients so not have quite so much cream cheese involved.

Muffins
2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups sugar (granulated)

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (I didn't have any and left it out...it was fine without it)

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cup solid pack pumpkin (I just used one regular size can)

3 large eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Topping

1/2 cup flour

1/3 cup sugar

3 tbsp butter (melted)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
Filling-  Combine the cream cheese fillings in a bowl and beat (I used my little hand mixer) until smooth.  Place on a large sheet of plastic wrap and roll into a "log".  Place in the freezer for about an hour. 

Topping:  Just before removing the cream cheese from the freezer, put the topping ingredients in a bowl.  Use a fork to mix it.  It will form little clumps.  Resist just sitting and eating the topping...good stuff.

Muffins:  Preheat oven to 350.  Line muffin tin with liners.  This recipe easily makes 16.

Mix the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices/salt) in a large bowl.  Stir together.

In another bowl, combine "wet" ingredients (pumpkin, eggs, oil, vanilla).

Make a "well" in the middle of the dry ingredients.  Pour "wet" ingredients into the hole.  Stir all ingredients together until mixed.  Do NOT over mix.

Add about 2 Tbsp of muffin batter to each muffin liner. 

Slice the cream cheese log into 16 equal size pieces.  Like I said, I think next time I will half that...it is a lot of cream cheese :).  Place a cream cheese "slice" in the middle of each muffin liner.

Top the cream cheese with remaining muffin batter.

Sprinkle the topping on top, pressing it down to ensure it sticks.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cake

This is one dessert I don't make very often. It isn't that it is that complicated. Or that I don't want to. It is rather that I would eat it every day of my life if I could. And my waist certainly doesn't need that! So I typically make it once or twice each fall and then dream about it the rest of the year.

Oh, this recipe came from my co-worker Patti B. She made it for a faculty "reception" or something. I was hooked on the first bite. It is now a family favorite. I am sure with pumpkin in it, it has to be at least a little healthy. Right? :)


Cake-
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cocoa
3 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 cups pumpkin (which is basically one regular can of pumpkin)

Directions:
Mix sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla together well. I use my mixer to make sure it mixes well.

Sift flour, salt, baking soda, cocoa, and cinnamon together. Add to the first mixture.

Add pumpkin.

Pour into prepare angel food pan or bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Caramel Sauce-
And yes, this is probably my very favorite part...
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Melt butter in a small saucepan and add sugar. Cook until sugar is dissolved. Add evaporated milk and vanilla. Serve hot over cake.

Enjoy!

Reba

Pumpkin Muffins

The picture doesn't do it justice. Just trust me on this.

I was trying to decide what my first recipe should be. The one I am probably asked about more than any other is the pumpkin muffin recipe. I got this from a co-worker who got it from a classroom parent who shared it (and some muffins) with her. Since my first bite, I was hooked. I LOVE these muffins. We eat them at least every other week, if not more often. I try to always have the ingredients (3...just 3 ingredient!) on hand for when that mood strikes. The older two will eat them when I make them and like them fine. But it is my younger two who actually beg me to make them and then will eat them until there are none left. I am sure they are healthy, right? Pumpkin is good for you...

Here is the recipe.

Did I mention there are three ingredients?

The ingredients are one can of pumpkin, one box of a spice cake mix, and one bag of cinnamon chips.

I pick up one or two cans of pumpkin any time I see it at the store. Did you know that last year there was a pumpkin shortage? It was scary. I thought we might be without pumpkin muffins for a few weeks. I was even willing to try to learn how to can pumpkin myself, grow them in the backyard if necessary. Thankfully a few friends found cans for me, and then we had a really good crop last year. So now I have a shelf of pumpkin. Just in case. And I have a renewed interest in farming and agriculture current events so it won't be a surprise to me next time.

The spice cake mix? I just buy the generic version. I mean, store brand. It doesn't really matter. The key is you are just using the mix itself. You aren't adding the cake ingredients (like eggs or oil). Just that powdery mix.

And finally the cinnamon chips. They are the toughest to find depending on where you live. I am VERY thankful that my favorite grocery store Harp's sells them. (To be upfront, my daddy works for that store :) If you don't have a Harp's in the area, go to the Hershey's website and look up hard to find products. Look for cinnamon chips. I know you can order them on Amazon and some other websites too. I have had friends substitute chocolate chips, but really the cinnamon chips make the muffin to me...

Final note: I don't always use a whole bag of cinnamon chips. I have used half the bag and sometimes even a little less than that. My kids don't seem to notice a difference. So that is one way to get more bang for your buck. Stretch out the chips.

So what do you do now?

Go ahead and turn the oven on to 350.

Dump all three ingredients in a bowl. Then start mixing. This is the tough part. It is not easy to mix. It is very dry at first. Honestly, I "smear" the pumpkin with a spatula until the cake mix gets moist with it. Once that happens, it gets much easier though it is very thick.

Next, spray either a regular muffin tin (or mini muffin tin) or line with muffin/cupcake liners. I use the liners. It is SO much easier to clean up afterward and they don't really stick that much. I won't even tell you how many muffin/cupcake liners I have on hand. Just know that if you are ever in a bind, I have plenty to share in about any pattern or holiday theme you are looking for. They are just fun to buy and they are great little gifts (like in my stocking).

Then I use the cookie scooper (see picture below). I used to try a spoon but then it would stick and I would be frustrated. The scooper works MUCH better for me now. :) I just put scoops into the tin until about even with the pan. For mini muffins, one scoop works. For regular muffins, usually it takes about two. I will tell you that this makes a lot. I can easily get 18 regular muffins or one large pan of mini muffins plus 6 regular. If you ever want an easy teacher gift, get up early one morning and make these...they will feed many.

After you have finished filling the tins, stick the muffin pan(s) in the oven. After about 30 minutes check on them. If they look pretty set, then take them out. Give them just a couple minutes to cool off, then enjoy. Oh, and they taste just as good re-heated in the microwave for 10-20 seconds.

You can always add extra ingredients (nuts, raisins, dates, etc) and some friends have even added a topping (like a glaze). But I am a simple girl. 3 ingredients. No more, no less. :)

Here is a shortened version of the recipe without all of my ad lib...

Ingredients:
1 can pumpkin
1 box spice cake mix
1 bag cinnamon chips

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Pour ingredients into a bowl and stir until moist.
3. Line or grease or spray muffin pans (the size of your choice).
4. Scoop or spoon "batter" into the tins until flush with the pan.
5. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
6. Enjoy!

More soon,
Reba