During fall everyone loves a sweet warm treat to get them into the fall spirit. Whether your favorite fall flavor is apple, PUMPKIN, or cinnamon, we all love a good treat. Although me and my family had a wonderful thanksgiving meal, we wanted to add a little bit of spice to ease that fall sweet tooth. So, we decided on a delicious idea. Why not make pumpkin cream cheese muffins? Pinterest is basically my best friend, so scrolling through I found this delicious recipe and wanted to share it with my PHU family.

The recipe that I used provided up to 24 delicious muffins that both me and my family enjoyed. Let’s start off with the ingredients to make these beautiful yet tasty treats.

PUMPKIN MUFFIN BATTER:

• canola/vegetable oil (1/2 cup)

• granulated sugar (1 cup)

• vanilla extract (1 tsp)

• pumpkin puree (1 ¼ cups)

• large eggs (2)

• milk (½ cup)

  

• all-purpose flour (1 ¾ cups) (stir, spoon & level)

• baking soda (1 tsp)

• baking powder (½ tsp)

• salt (½ tsp)

• pumpkin pie spice (combination of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice) (4 tsp)

CREAM CHEESE FILLING

• cream cheese (8oz)
• granulated sugar (¼ cup)
• large egg (1)
• vanilla extract (1 tsp)

Here we have all the ingredients I used. I found many of my items in my kitchen and other items at Publix. My mom was a huge help and we only had to spend a few minutes in the store!

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, and vanilla. Add the pumpkin puree, eggs, and milk. Whisk until well-combined.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Slowly mix into a wet mixture. Set aside.

Beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar together in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer. Add egg and vanilla. Mix well, scraping the bowl as needed. Set aside.

Line muffin pans with paper cups. Scoop pumpkin muffin batter into cups with #24 scoops, or about 2/3 full. Spoon cream cheese filling over the top using a #50 scoop or slightly more than one Tablespoon per muffin.

Use a knife to fold (not just swirl) the two batters together. NOTE: The cream cheese batter is much thinner than the muffin batter. To fold the two batters together: Take a butter knife and insert it directly through the center of the muffin batter, gently scraping it along the bottom. Then lift the knife from the edge and fold the batter back towards the center. Repeat 2-3x. This will create a swirled look. With this technique, “less is more” for that marbled look.

Bake at 375˚F for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Do not over-bake. Cool completely.

Recipe Provided By: Dessertnowdinnerlater.com

Here is the finished result! They didn’t come out perfect, but it was super fun bonding with my family and trying something new. Overall, me and my dad rate these a 6.5/10 and hope to try out more recipes.