Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

  We could go on and on about these yummy, easy muffins, but then we'd just be wasting space.  I'll let you go ahead and read the recipe.  The most difficult part is whipping the cream cheese, but you can do even that with some ease.  Serve these bad guys to your office (like we did), family or friends, but if you have a sneaky husband, boyfriend or child watch out they may get eaten before they cool!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

complied from Cindy Hannaford and Two Tarts

YEILDS: 12 muffins

Cream Cheese Filling

INGREDIENTS:

4 oz cream cheese

¼ cup sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Whip together cream cheese and sugar very well (with a fork, hand mixer, food processor, anything).  When it is all combined, pop it into the fridge to stay cold while you prep the rest of the muffins.  Having this mixture as cool as possible will prevent the cream from melting away too much during baking.

Muffins

INGREDIENTS:

Any flavor cake mix

1 can pumpkin

2 eggs

Pumpkin Pie Spices

  (1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. ginger, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, 1/4 tsp. cloves)

  (Feel free to ad lib to the spices, the only thing essential is the cinnamon.)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Mix together. 

Line muffin tins with paper cup, or lightly oil them.  Spoon about 1-2 Tablespoons of batter into the bottom of each muffin.  (A regular dinner spoon—heaping—is about the right size.)  Make sure this batter is spread thinly and evenly across the bottom of each muffin tin. 

Distribute a spoonful (approx. 1 Tablespoon) of the cream cheese filling in each.  Fill with the remainder of the batter (spreading it out evenly).  Approx 2-3 Tablespoons each is about the right amount.  (Putting the cream cheese in the middle is crucial.  We tried both ways and the cream cheese does not sink on its own.)

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes.  Let cool before you eat them, unless you are ready to deal with molten cream cheese!