Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Picture from Annie's Eats

Originally a Starbucks knock off (I haven't had the original so I can't compare) these little babies are fast becoming one of my favorite Fall recipes.

Moist, warmly  spiced muffins with the most delicious sweetened cream cheese filling.

Each ingredient blends perfectly so that you get a little pumpkin, a little spice, a little creamy, and a little crunch, without any of them being too overwhelming.

The struesel topping is slightly crunchy and instead of covering the entire top, it slightly bakes into the muffin creating more of a cinnamon sugar crust.  


These will be on my "must make for Fall" list every year!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Annie's Eats

*Be sure to allow time for the cream cheese filling to chill*

Yield: 24 muffins

Ingredients:For the filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
For the muffins:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups pumpkin puree
1¼ cups vegetable oil
For the topping:
½ cup sugar
5 tbsp. flour
1½ tsp. ground cinnamon
4 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces




Directions:
To prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl and mix well until blended and smooth. Transfer the mixture to a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a log about 1½-inches in diameter. Smooth the plastic wrap tightly around the log, and reinforce with a piece of foil. Transfer to the freezer and chill until at least slightly firm, at least 2 hours.
To make the muffins, preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line muffin pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda; whisk to blend. In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree and oil. Mix on medium-low speed until blended. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.
To make the topping, combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl; whisk to blend. Add in the butter pieces and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or two forks until the mixture is coarse and crumbly. Transfer to the refrigerator until ready to use.
To assemble the muffins, fill each muffin well with a small amount of batter, just enough to cover the bottom of the liner (1-2 tablespoons). Slice the log of cream cheese filling into 24 equal pieces. Place a slice of the cream cheese mixture into each muffin well. Divide the remaining batter among the muffin cups, placing on top of the cream cheese to cover completely. Sprinkle a small amount of the topping mixture over each of the muffin wells.
Bake for 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving. (It may be hard to resist immediate consumption, but the cream cheese filling gets very hot!)

Posted by: Sallie

French Breakfast Puffs

I've been making variations of these yummy muffins for years. This recipe is especially good. Don't ask me why these are called French Breakfast Puffs. All I know is that they are so good. Perfect for breakfast, brunch or anytime. They are sweet muffins with hints of nutmeg and dipped in butter and rolled in cinnamon and sugar. Also great for kids (or adults) who don't like fruit in their muffins. You can sprinkle them with sugar, a cinnamon/sugar mixture, or if you want to go all out, roll the entire muffin around in the butter for 20-30 seconds and then roll in cinnamon sugar mixture. These don't even last a day in my house.

French Breakfast Puffs

Pioneer Woman

3 cups flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup shortening (Crisco)

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 teaspoons cinnamon

2 sticks butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 12 muffin cups. Stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside. In a different bowl, cream together 1 cup sugar and shortening, then add eggs and mix. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to creamed mixture, beating well after each addition. Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until golden. In a bowl, melt 2 sticks butter. In a separate bowl combine remaining sugar and cinnamon. Dip baked muffins in butter, coating thoroughly on all sides , then coat with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Makes 12 muffins.

*You can either dip just the tops in butter and sugar or you can roll the whole muffin in the cinnamon sugar mixture. If you do this, let them get really coatedwith butter.Leave them in there for a good 20-30 seconds before you roll in the sugar mixture.

Cinnamon-Sugar Dipped Blueberry Muffins

I love bakery muffins with streusel topping or lots of crusted sugar. I found this recipe in Cook's Illustrated and they are so yummy. Think cinnamon toast topping over a moist, delicate blueberry muffin. I loved the contrast between the cinnamon-sugar top and the tart blueberries in the muffins . The cinnamon topping adds a special touch & makes them look much prettier . I love the fact that you can use frozen berries in this recipe. If you have a scale and can measure the ingredients it makes a HUGE difference. I thought these muffins were best served warm with butter.

Cinnamon-Sugar Dipped Blueberry Muffins

from Cook's Illustrated

Makes 12 muffins
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10 ounces)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 large egg
1 cup granulated sugar (7 ounces)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly
1 1/4 cups sour cream (10 ounces)
1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries , preferably wild
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray standard muffin tin with nonstick vegetable cooking spray.
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl until combined. Whisk egg in second medium bowl until well-combined and light-colored, about 20 seconds. Add sugar and whisk vigorously until thick and homogenous, about 30 seconds; add melted butter in 2 or 3 steps, whisking to combine after each addition. Add sour cream in 2 steps, whisking just to combine.
3. Add frozen berries to dry ingredients and gently toss to combine. Add sour cream mixture and fold with rubber spatula until batter comes together and berries are evenly distributed, 25 to 30 seconds (small spots of flour may remain and batter will be thick). Do not overmix.
4. Use ice cream scoop or large spoon to drop batter into greased muffin tin. Bake until light golden brown and toothpick or skewer inserted into center of muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating pan from front to back halfway through baking time. Invert muffins onto wire rack, stand muffins upright, and cool 5 minutes.
5. While muffins are cooling, mix sugar and ground cinnamon in small bowl and melt butter in small saucepan. After baked muffins have cooled five minutes, working one at a time, dip tops of muffins in melted butter and then cinnamon-sugar. Set muffins upright on wire rack; serve.