#Thanksgiving Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins #recipe from author @DarylWoodGerber

From Daryl:  

Thanksgiving is tomorrow. Are you prepared? Still have the turkey to cook? What about those sides? And the gravy? Got veggies? Last minute stop to the store? I hope not. Everyone will be there!

I also hope you have help from family or friends because this is one holiday that requires all hands on deck. Dishes galore. 

And did I mention dessert? What do you like to serve for dessert? I like options.  Pies, cakes, individual candies. One of my grandsons wants to make  specialty cupcakes and have all the kids decorate them. I've purchased the decorations. Will that be chaos or fun?

Whatever you're doing, don't fret. You've got this. I'm sharing an easy muffin below that is right for dessert or breakfast/brunch.  If you don't have the ingredients for these delicious muffins (as I said I'm sure you don't want to go to the store again), just know that these are perfectly fine to eat next week and on into the winter months. So yummy.  

Have a great holiday. Enjoy whomever you are with.  

PS  I found this recipe on Sally's Baking Addiction blog. I tweaked it to make them gluten-free and I added a few things. If you want to see the original, follow the link https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/pumpkin-cheesecake-muffins/

 

PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE MUFFINS (GLUTEN-FREE and REGULAR)

Note: I made these slightly differently when it came to layering. They grew really big. I liked them that way.

Topping:

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour (for GF, use ¼ cup tapioca starch and ¼ cup cornstarch)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4  cup unsalted butter, melted

Cupcakes:

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (for GF, I used half tapioca starch, half sweet rice flour + 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum)

1 teaspoon baking powder (for GF, use 2 teaspoons)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (see note below)

2/3 cup brown sugar, packed (I used light)

2 large eggs

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup canola oil

1/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling:

(*On the website, Sally uses less; but comments from fans recommended more filling, so I increased the amounts)

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon cream cheese, room temperature

1 1/2 egg yolks (about 2 tablespoons egg)

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Sally recommends this because she likes to bake for 5 minutes at high temperature – helps cupcakes rise – then you will REDUCE the temperature to 350 degrees F. (See below)

Line 12 cupcake tins with liners.  Spray with non-stick spray. Set aside.

Make the crumb topping:

In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, flour (or GF combo) and cinnamon.  Add the melted butter and mix until crumbs form.  Set aside.  (Mine turned out to be more of a packed mixture; not crumbs.)

Make the muffin batter:

In a large bowl, toss the flour (or GF mixture), baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice together until combined.  (If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, Sally recommends a mixture of 1/4  teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon cloves, and 1/2 teaspoon allspice.)  Whisk in the pumpkin, oil, milk, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredient and stir until just combined Do NOT overmix the batter.

Make the cheesecake filling:

In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric handheld (or stand) mixer on medium-high speed until creamy. Add the egg yolk, vanilla extract, and sugar. Beat until combined.

Spoon 2 tablespoons of pumpkin batter into the cupcake cups. Layer with about 2 tablespoons spoonful of cheesecake filling, then 2 more tablespoons of cupcake batter (or however much batter is needed to fill the cups all the way to the top). Yes, you will fill the muffin cups to the very top. Some cheesecake filling may poke out of the top or on the sides. Top each evenly with crumb topping (it does not sprinkle, as Sally says in her blog so not sure what I might have done wrong) and press the topping down into the muffin so it sticks.

Bake for 5 minutes 425°F then, keeping the cupcakes in the oven, reduce heat to 350°F and continue baking for another 15-16 minutes. The total time these cupcakes should be in the oven is around 20-21 minutes. Allow the cupcakes to cool for 10 minutes in the muffin sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool until ready to eat. Cupcakes taste best on the same day, though they may be stored covered tightly at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for 5 days.

For longer storage, freeze cupcakes for up to 3 months. Wrap really tightly in plastic wrap to keep out all air. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and heat up in the microwave if desired.

Yummy creamy!

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Welcome Livia Washburn!

The Season of the Pumpkin

I’ve always enjoyed Hallowe’en, but probably for different reasons than many people. You see, I grew up in the country without many neighbors, so my brothers and I never really trick-or-treated, and trick-or-treaters hardly ever came to our house. But we carved jack-o-lanterns, and since my parents didn’t like to waste anything, they didn’t like to throw away all that fresh pumpkin. We ate pumpkin pie and roasted pumpkin seeds. That was just the start of a whole season of good food that stretched all the way through Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.


Of course, you can do more with pumpkins than just make jack-o-lanterns – and pies. In my new novel THE PUMPKIN MUFFIN MURDER, the fifth book in my Fresh Baked Mystery series, retired teacher and reluctant amateur sleuth Phyllis Newsom makes some delicious pumpkin cheesecake muffins to enter in the Harvest Festival cooking contest. As always in these books, the question is not just whether Phyllis will win the contest . . . but when and how will murder rear its ugly head? The recipe as it appears in the book calls for canned pumpkin, but fresh pumpkin will work just as well. THE PUMPKIN MUFFIN MURDER will be released in just a couple days from Obsidian Books. Happy Hallowe’en, everyone!

Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

Filling:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese softened
1 egg
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:
4 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3 tablespoons chopped pecans
3 tablespoons butter

Muffin:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups canned pumpkin
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour 18 muffin cups, or use paper liners. Fill any unfilled muffin cups in tin with water.

Filling: In a medium bowl, beat softened cream cheese until smooth. Add egg, brown sugar and vanilla. Beat until mixed, then set bowl in freezer to set while mixing other ingredients.

Topping: In a medium bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger and pecans. Add butter and cut it in with a fork until crumbly. Set aside.

Muffin batter: In a large bowl, blend together flour, sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Make a well in the center of flour mixture and add eggs, pumpkin, olive oil and vanilla. Beat together until well mixed.

Place pumpkin mixture in muffin cups about 1/2 full. Take the cream cheese mixture out of the freezer then add one tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture right in the middle of the batter in the muffin cups. Having the chilled cream cheese mixture will help you keep the cream cheese from touching the edges. Sprinkle on the streusel topping.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Makes 18 muffins

Note: If you have dogs, add a heaping tablespoon of the leftover canned pumpkin to their meal. All of my dogs like pumpkin and it’s a healthy treat.