Yesterday as we drove back to Jacksonville to spend the final day of fall vacation at home, LB asked, “what can you make with pumpkin [for me] when we get back home?”
The pumpkin possibilities are endless!
Dey’s uh, pumpkin-kabobs, pumpkin creole, pumpkin gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. Pineapple pumpkin, lemon pumpkin, coconut pumpkin, pepper pumpkin, pumpkin soup, pumpkin stew, pumpkin salad, pumpkin and potatoes, pumpkin burger, pumpkin sandwich…
(source)
er… can you [just] bake some pumpkin muffins?
Absolutely!
So I went on a Pinterest search for pumpkin muffins with an added bit of sump’n.
I found these Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Muffins from The Novice Chef.
For the muffins you will need all purpose flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda, salt, a can of pumpkin, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract.
For the fancy cream cheese swirl you will need, cream cheese, granulated sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla extract.
Here is how it is done:
Preheat your oven to 375°F.
If your oven is like mine, it will take 30 minutes to get there.
Place paper baking cups into a muffin pan and set aside. Then, in a medium bowl, whisk flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda and salt until well combined and set it aside.
In your standing mixer, mix together the canned pumpkin, sugar and brown sugar. Beat in eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Then slowly add in the flour mixture, mixing until there are no lumps. This mixture looks really good. Stick your finger in it and give it a taste.
Good, huh?
Wash your hands and continue.
Fill the muffin cups about three quarters of the way full.
Nice.
Now, after LB (or your significant other) has licked the bowl clean, wash it so you can use if for the cream cheese swirl.
In that same mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add in the sugar, egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat until well combined. Top each muffin with about 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture 
and use a toothpick to swirl it into the batter.
It will turn out better than you think.
Bake the muffins for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
And LB exclaims
“the holiday baking season has begun!”
Pumpkin Cream Swirl Muffins
Ingredients
Muffin:
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin (pure pumpkin puree)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Swirl:
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F. Place paper baking cups into muffin pan. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda and salt until well combined. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, beat together pumpkin, sugar and brown sugar. Add eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla extract.
Slowly add the flour mixture, mixing until smooth. Fill muffin tins 3/4 full.
In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar, egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat until well combined.
Top each muffin with about 1 tablespoon of cream cheese mixture and use a toothpick to swirl it into the batter.
Bake muffins for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.
