Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Centers

made for Cooking Club by Jen Brady, found at http://www.yourcupofcake.com/2010/10/pumpkin-muffins-with-cream-cheese.html

Muffins:

3 cups flour

3-4 teaspoons pumpkin (or apple) pie spice, whatever you have will do

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 eggs

1 ¼ cups oil

2 cups sugar

2 cups pumpkin puree

Filling:

8 oz cream cheese

3/4 cup powdered sugar

Streusel Topping:

½ cup sugar 

¼ cup flour

4 tablespoons cold butter, cubed

1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

1.    Preheat over to 350 degrees.

2.   Prepare filling: Whip cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth.

3.   Using a piping bag, pipe out a “log” of cream cheese mixture onto plastic wrap.  The diameter should easily fit into the bottom of a muffin tin.

4.   Wrap log in plastic and place in freezer until firm, about 2 hours.

5.   Prepare Batter: Combine flour, spices, salt and baking soda.

6.   In a separate bowl, combine eggs, oil, sugar and pumpkin.

7.   Mix in dry ingredients only until combined, do not over mix.

8.   Fill muffins tins (with papers) 1/3 full.

9.   Cut cream cheese “log” into pieces and place a piece in each muffin tin.  Make sure to not press them down all the way to the bottom.

10.Cover cream cheese centers with more batter, so the tin is about 2/3-3/4 full.

11.  Prepare topping: Combine all ingredients until crumbly (using a form works well).

12. Bake 15-20 minutes of until tops spring back.

 

My Notes: I don't have the luxury of a cake decorating set, therefore no piping bag.  I just spooned the cream cheese mixture in a line onto a piece of plastic wrap, and then rolled it up and rolled/squeezed it like a play-dough snake to make the "log." It worked fine.  I see the wisdom in freezing it if you do the log, but I don't see why, to save time, if you have a piping bag, that you couldn't just pipe the cream cheese straight into the cup without having to wait for freezing.  I also added a splash of vanilla to the cream cheese mixture.

I am trying to gradually made a change to eating more healthy, so I substituted half of the flour with whole wheat flour, and half of the oil with olive oil.  I would think applesauce would work really well with this recipe in place of the oil for lower fat. 

Pumpkin pie spice was expensive! So I made my own. I had a 1:1:1 ratio of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger already mixed, and then added a bit of allspice. It seemed to work well. They were yummy!