Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

It has been an entire week since I last updated. I was feeling a little out of the loop, so I decided that I would make sure I updated tonight.

It has been a very uneventful week cooking wise last week. Chad went out of town, and I was just lazy. We ate out, ate leftovers twice, and the other nights I just picked at things in the fridge since I was only feeding myself.

With the weather turning a bit cooler, and seeing all of the pumpkin recipes on the WC board, I decided that I would make something with pumpkin. I browsed the web and came upon this recipe.

Since I didn't cook dinner tonight (we ate out), I felt this would be a perfect treat for dessert.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 3 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 cup pecans, roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/4 cups solid-packed pumpkin
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat oven to 375° F. Lightly coat two 12-cup standard muffin tins with oil and set aside. Mix the cream cheese, 1 egg, and 3 tablespoons sugar in a small bowl and set aside. Toss 5 tablespoons sugar, 1/2 cup flour, pecans, butter, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon together in a medium bowl and set aside. Combine the remaining sugar, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and remaining cinnamon in a large bowl. Lightly beat the remaining eggs, pumpkin, oil, and vanilla together in a medium bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, pour the pumpkin mixture into the well, and mix with a fork just until moistened. Evenly divide half of the batter among the muffin cups. Place two teaspoonfuls of cream cheese filling in the center of each cup and fill with the remaining batter. Sprinkle some of the pecan mixture over the top of each muffin and bake until golden and a tester, inserted into the muffin center, comes out clean -- 20 to 25 minutes.

They were very tasty, and I can't wait to eat one with breakfast tomorrow. Unfortunately, Chad told me he doesn't like pumpkin (good grief!) so I will be taking some to work.