Pumpkin Spice Muffins with Maple Cream Cheese

Pumpkin Spice Muffins with Maple Cream Cheese

A friend forwarded me this recipe which I believe she found in a magazine. I tweaked it to add more spices but you can easily add less if you like. I also tweaked the maple cream cheese that gets smeared on them to bump up the maple flavor by reducing the syrup and intensify the maple deliciousness. The pumpkin puree adds lots of moistness to these muffins so less oil is needed than in many muffin recipes and I think there is room to play with using a little less oil and replacing it with more pumpkin puree too.

These are so delicious, my 13 year old son must have scarfed down at least half of this batch. Perfect for a beautiful Fall weekend brunch.

Makes 12 muffins.

Sift together and set aside:

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

Beat together until well combined:

• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Fold in the dry ingredients only until they are fully incorporated, Do not over mix.

Spoon into 12 paper lined muffin tins and bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Serve with

Maple Cream Cheese

In a small pot slowly simmer until the volume reduces by half:

• 1/3 cup real maple syrup

Cool completely to room temperature. The final volume should be 3 tbsp concentrated maple syrup.

Beat together until smooth

• concentrated maple syrup
• 1/2 cup cream cheese
• 3 tbsp icing sugar (i.e. powdered sugar)

Serve as a spread on the muffins.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins with Maple Cream Cheese

A friend forwarded me this recipe which I believe she found in a magazine. I tweaked it to add more spices but you can easily add less if you like. I also tweaked the maple cream cheese that gets smeared on them to bump up the maple flavor by reducing the syrup and intensify the maple deliciousness. The pumpkin puree adds lots of moistness to these muffins so less oil is needed than in many muffin recipes and I think there is room to play with using a little less oil and replacing it with more pumpkin puree too.

These are so delicious, my 13 year old son must have scarfed down at least half of this batch. Perfect for a beautiful Fall weekend brunch.

Makes 12 muffins.

Sift together and set aside:

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

Beat together until well combined:

• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Fold in the dry ingredients only until they are fully incorporated, Do not over mix.

Spoon into 12 paper lined muffin tins and bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Serve with

Maple Cream Cheese

In a small pot slowly simmer until the volume reduces by half:

• 1/3 cup real maple syrup

Cool completely to room temperature. The final volume should be 3 tbsp concentrated maple syrup.

Beat together until smooth

• concentrated maple syrup
• 1/2 cup cream cheese
• 3 tbsp icing sugar (i.e. powdered sugar)

Serve as a spread on the muffins.