Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Well I know the holidays are over and "pumpkin season" has passed, but my pantry still has a nice supply of canned pumpkin, so I decided to make some pumpkin muffins for my kids. While looking for a pumpkin muffin recipe, I found these delicious little muffins topped with a cream cheese and streusel topping. I love cream cheese.... The recipe isn't difficult, but it is a recipe with quite a few steps and uses about 100 bowls. It's worth it though. They are delicious!

Cream Cheese topping:                                                                                                           
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons brown sugar

Streusel topping:

4 1/2 tablespoons flour
5 tablespoons white sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons chopped pecans (toasted these briefly first on a cookie sheet in the oven at 350 degrees, for about 10 minutes. Just)

Muffin ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour (I used 1&1/2 cups white, 1 cup whole wheat)
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice(original recipe calls for 2 teas. cinnamon, no  pumpkin pie spice)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups canned pumpkin
1/3 cup vegetable oil(original recipe calls for olive oil)
2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour 18 muffin cups.  

FILLING: 

Beat cream cheese until soft. Add egg, vanilla and brown sugar. Beat until smooth. Set aside.

STREUSEL TOPPING: 

Mix flour, sugar, cinnamon and pecans.Add butter and cut it in with a fork until crumbly. Set aside.

MUFFIN BATTER: 

In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Make a well in the center of flour mixture and gradually incorporate eggs, pumpkin, olive oil and vanilla.(I used my mixer for this)Beat together until smooth.

Fill cups with pumpkin mixture until they're about 1/2 full. Carefully add one tbsp of the cream cheese mixture right in the middle of the batter. If you're using paper cups, try to keep cream cheese from touching the paper. Sprinkle on the streusel topping.  Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

 

 

 

Recipe courtesy of recipezaar.com