Pumpkin Patch Muffins

 

  I can remember being 12 years old and not being super enthused about going to our Wednesday night church activities.  They were usually something that I didn't really enjoy and I would often sneak off from the group to go play the church piano or talk with friends.

One night the activity was at a woman's house that was one of those houses that when you drive by you always thought "Wow! I wonder what it looks like inside."  Needless to say it was a big, beautiful house.

It was a few days before Halloween and we made lots of goodies, including Pumpkin patch muffins.  I've been making these muffins ever since.

 I was chatting with my mother and was reminiscing about these muffins, and she suggested they get an update with a streusel topping and a cream cheese filling.  So, courtesy of my mother, and with the help of my boyfriend, here are my updated Pumpkin Patch Muffins. 

And Happy Halloween!

For the Muffins:

3 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1-1/4 cup pumpkin puree

1 cup milk

1/2 cup butter, melted 

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp cloves

Combine butter, sugar, vanilla, pumpkin puree and milk in a stand mixer. Sift flour, baking powder, salt and spices, and add in batches to the wet mixture just until combined. Scoop batter into muffin tins about half way.  You are going to then dollop the cream cheese mixture into the batter, then top with remaining batter and sprinkle the streusel topping over the muffins.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

For the Cream Cheese Filling:

Mix 8 ounces of cream cheese with 1 cup of powdered sugar.  Spoon mixture into a piece of parchment paper and roll into a log (and it is at this point you may need to beat your boyfriend out of the kitchen with a wooden spoon for dipping his fingers in the bowl).  Chill in the fridge until it firms up a little.  This makes it easier to slice into disks and plop into the muffin batter.

For the Streusel Topping:

1 stick of cold butter diced

5 tbs flour

1-1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup sugar

Mashed ingredients with a fork until forms pea sized chunks and sprinkle over top of the muffins before baking.