Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Author: 
Recipe type: Breakfast Muffin
 
A pumpkin muffin full of spice, filled with a sweet cream cheese & topped off with a pecan crumble. These muffins are out of this world good. A must make for the fall.
Ingredients
  • For the Cream Cheese Filling::
  • 8 ounces cream cheese
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • For the Streusel:
  • ½ cup flour
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ cup pecan chips, or pecans chopped
  • 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
  • For the Muffins:
  • 1½ cups flour
  • 1 Tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice (or see note below)
  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ⅛ teaspoon cardaman
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup plus 2 Tablespoons canola oil
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
  1. For the Cream Cheese Filling:
  2. In a medium sized bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer. Add the sugar. Scrape the sides of the bowl down, cover and place in the refrigerator.
  3. For the Streusel:
  4. Cut the butter into small pieces. Place the butter in a medium sized bowl. Add the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon & pecans. Using a pastry cutter (or fork if you don't have one) cut the butter until it's blended completely and resembles small crumbs. This will take a while :) Place in the refrigerator.
  5. For the Muffins:
  6. Pre heat your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare your muffin pan with paper liners (I recommend parchment liners) Set pan aside.
  7. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, cloves, cardamon, soda & salt.
  8. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the sugar, pumpkin, eggs, oil & vanilla.
  9. Make a well in the dry ingredients. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the dry ingredients. Gently mix together using s spatula or wooden spoon, just until everything is moistened.
  10. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of the batter into the bottom of the muffin cups, spread gently so the bottom is covered.
  11. Remove the cream cheese from the refrigerator and using a spoon, add about 2 tablespoons to each muffin cup.
  12. Cover the cream cheese with the remaining batter. (Try to get the cream cheese completely covered.)
  13. Get the streusel from the refrigerator & sprinkle it on top of each muffin. Pressing lightly to make sure it sticks to the batter. Pile it on! It looks like a ton, but it bakes down a little and you want to get as much on the muffins as you can.
  14. Bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes or until golden. (Mine baked for 25 min. All ovens are different so be sure to check if they are done at 20 min.) Cool them in the pan for 5 minutes, then move to a cooling rack.
  15. Store the muffins in an airtight container for up to 4 days. When ready to serve, let come to room temp or warm in the microwave, just to take the chill off. You can also wrap these in plastic wrap & place in a freezer bag for up to 2 months.
Notes
*If you don't have pumpkin pie spice simply add: 1½ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ½ teaspoon ginger, ¼ teaspoon all spice. The cardamon is optional. I like the added spice but feel free to leave out if you wish. You can half the filling to 4 ounces cream cheese with a ¼ cup sugar if you don't like a lot of cream cheese filling.
Recipe by at https://www.classyclutter.net/recipes/pumpkin-cream-cheese-muffins/