Just Baking

I love fall. The cooler weather, the leaves turning colors, soups and stews and just getting ready for all the holiday baking that’s to come. I mark these muffins as my first recipe of the fall season. I love pumpkin anything, so when I came across these, I decided I’d share them with you. The flavor reminds me of a pumpkin roll, and they sure make your home smell wonderful.

Muffins:

3 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground cloves
4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Pinch of cardamom
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups cooked or canned pumpkin
1 ¼ cups vegetable oil

Cream Cheese Filling:

6 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 

Crumb Topping:

1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350. To make the cream cheese filling, beat cream cheese, sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Set aside. 

Make the crumb topping: In a medium bowl, combine the flour with the brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the melted butter, then pinch the mixture until it forms pea-size clumps. Set aside.
Mix muffin ingredients together except cream cheese filling. Fill muffin tins (greased or paper cups) 3/4 full. Put 1-2 tsp cream cheese filling in each muffin and lightly swirl (I used a plastic bag snipped as a pastry bag). Top with 1 generous tablespoon of topping.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean from the muffin. Let cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove to racks to cool completely. Makes 24 muffins.
 

This muffin recipe comes from Sheila of Musings of a Mommy. I used a cream cheese filling I had found some years ago and the crumb topping comes from Food & Wine. I adapted her recipe to accommodate this recipe. Photography by myself.