Pumpkin Muffins

This muffin recipe is the best thing to come out of my kitchen so far this fall! I have been making an amazing pumpkin bread for years, however I wanted to change it up a little this season and add some flair. I have created a pumpkin muffin with a cream-cheese based filling- fresh from the kitchen!

Ingredients

3 cups sugar (or substitute with 1/2 truvia, 1/2 sugar)
4 eggs
3 1/3 cup of flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. allspice
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin spice
1 cup cooking oil
2/3 cup water
15 oz. can of pumpkin

             Filling

8 ounces of cream cheese
1 egg
3 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. pumpkin spice


Process


Using a large bowl, beat sugar and oil on medium; add eggs and beat well. Using a stand-alone mixer, set beater on low while adding in flour and all dry ingredients one cup at a time. Add water. Once combined, beat in pumpkin. Now that the batter is complete, it is time to work on the filling.

Mix the cream cheese, egg, sugar, and spice in a small bowl using a beat on low until well-combined and creamy. This is easier to complete if the cream cheese has been left out and softened.

Finally it is time to construct the muffins. Place paper cups in a muffin pan, and spray cups lightly with oil or cooking spray. This allows for easy removal of the muffins while eating. First, place one spoonful of muffin batter in each cup. The cup should be 1/3 filled, leaving room for the filling. Next, spoon a generous helping of filling into the middle of the paper. Be sure the filling does not touch the sides of the paper. Finally, fill the remaining cups about 2/3 full with the muffin batter.

Step 1 in muffin construction

Step 2 muffin construction

Bake muffins at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Be sure to use the toothpick test to rest assured your muffins are cooked completely! Insert a toothpick into the muffin, baking until it comes out clean.
This recipe will make about 18 muffins. The muffins taste best after sitting overnight! Refrigerate and serve cold or warm.