Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” ~ Anne of Green Gables

Every year I think to myself that I am not ready for the holiday season to begin.  That I am not ready for pumpkin flavored drinks and breads and desserts.  That I still want to wear shorts and short dresses and flip-flops rather than rain jackets and boots and jeans.  And then it hits me...every year.

I suddenly find myself looking forward to the chill in the air, the gray rainy days, and pulling on a sweatshirt for our morning walk.  I remember the coziness of watching football under a blanket on the sofa.  And, find that the sight of pumpkins and mums puts an immediate smile on my face.  I remember just how much I love fall, particularly October, and this love of the season starts to show itself in my cooking and baking.  Cinnamon and nutmeg start to move toward the front of the spice shelf.  Pumpkins and apples and butternut squash start to find their way into muffins and breads and sauces.

I made these muffins a few weekends ago for Jack's soccer team snack.  They were practically inhaled by the children.  They are moist and sweet (In fact, I almost think I can cut back on the sugar which I may try to do...an excuse to make them again.) and satisfying by themselves as breakfast or a snack, but even better paired with a scrambled egg or a hunk of good cheddar cheese.  Baking them at a lower temperature for a longer time than a normal muffin will produce a very moist final product which I think you will appreciate.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Makes 18 muffins

Ingredients:

For the muffins:

3 cups flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tbsp. and 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

4 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup olive oil

2 cups sugar

2 cups pumpkin puree

For the filling:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

For the streusel topping:

½ cup sugar

¼ cup and 1 tsp. flour

4 tbsp. butter, cubed

1 ½ tsp. cinnamon

Preparation:

To prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and whip until smooth. Form into a skinny log on parchment paper, making sure that the diameter is small enough to fit into the well of a muffin pan. Wrap the log up tightly and freeze until slightly hardened, 1-2 hours.

To make the muffins, combine the flour, spices, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. Mix well and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the eggs, vegetable oil, sugar and pumpkin puree. Mix until well combined. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix on low speed until just combined.

To make the streusel topping, combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Mix together with a pastry blender or two forks until crumbly.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Spray the muffin pan with nonstick spray or lightly grease it with oil or butter.  To assemble the muffins, fill each muffin well halfway with batter. Remove the cream cheese log from the freezer and slice into equal slices. Place a slice in each muffin well. Divide the remaining muffin batter evenly among the muffin cups, on top of the cream cheese. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the top of the batter. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before serving.