Did you know pumpkin is a fall superfood? Next week we’ll be sharing a few more recipes that involve pumpkin, but today is the perfect day to share recipes for muffins! The best part is these muffin recipes are on the healthy side, so you don’t need to be shy getting seconds! 😉
Happy Halloween!
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Photo & recipe courtesy of The Girl Who Ate Everything.
Makes 24 muffins
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
For the muffins:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups pumpkin puree {canned or homemade}
- 1¼ cups vegetable oil
For the topping:
- ½ cup sugar
- 5 tablespoons flour
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Directions
- To prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar in a medium bowl and mix well until blended and smooth. Transfer the mixture to a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a log about 1½-inches in diameter. Smooth the plastic wrap tightly around the log, and reinforce with a piece of foil. Transfer to the freezer and chill until at least slightly firm, at least 2 hours. The mixture will still be somewhat soft but firmer.
- To make the muffins, preheat the oven to 350. Line muffin pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda; whisk to blend. In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the eggs, sugar, pumpkin puree and oil. Mix on medium-low speed until blended. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.
- To make the topping, combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl; whisk to blend. Add in the butter pieces and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or two forks until the mixture is coarse and crumbly. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill until ready to use.
- To assemble the muffins, fill each muffin well with a small amount of batter, just enough to cover the bottom of the liner (1-2 tablespoons). Slice the log of cream cheese filling into 24 equal pieces. Place a slice of the cream cheese mixture into each muffin well. You want to put the cream cheese lower than you think because it will rise a lot during the baking process. Divide the remaining batter among the muffin cups, placing on top of the cream cheese to cover completely. Sprinkle a small amount of the topping mixture over each of the muffin wells.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving.
Whole Wheat Pumpkin Oat Muffins
Photo & recipe courtesy of Kitchen Treaty.
Makes 12 muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats + 2 tablespoons for topping
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup buttermilk*
- ¾ cup pure pumpkin puree {canned or homemade}
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- â…“ cup canola or vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions
- Heat oven to 400. Line 12 standard (1/3 cup) muffin cups with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, 1 cup oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, pumpkin, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, whisking just until the ingredients are incorporated. Divide batter between the 12 muffins cups. Divide 2 tablespoons oats between the 12 muffins, sprinkling a few evenly over each.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, until the top of the muffins spring back when poked and a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the muffins comes out clean.
Notes for above recipe
* If you have pumpkin pie spice mix, you can substitute 2 teaspoons for the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
* Create a buttermilk substitute by stirring one tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice into 1 cup of milk and letting it sit for 10 minutes before using.
* Create a buttermilk substitute by stirring one tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice into 1 cup of milk and letting it sit for 10 minutes before using.
