Inside out Pumpkin Muffins filled with Cider Cinnamon Cream Cheese

Thanksgiving is nearly upon us and I’m sure you probably feel as though you were drowning in a sea of pumpkin-y recipes. So what do I do, well how does that saying go, “if you can’t beat ’em…” I jumped right on the old band wagon and today bring you a recipe for Inside Out Pumpkin Muffins filled with Cider Cinnamon Cream Cheese.

Now this isn’t you’re regular old pumpkin bread muffin, oh no. This moist muffin is just full of all of those wonderful flavours that you associate with Thanksgiving – like pumpkin (duh), sweet and tangy apple cider and warm cinnamon. As a bonus, they are stuffed with the most delicious Apple Cider Cinnamon Cream Cheese Spread. This cream cheese spread is made with that boiled cider that I’ve been talking up recently. And you only end up using about 1/2 of the Cider Cinnamon spread in these muffins, so you’ll have plenty around to spread on a bagel or English Muffin, or to dip apple slices or pita chips into, or to just schmear more all over the top of these pumpkin muffins. Hey, I know it is already baked into the middle, but believe me, this spread is amazing! You won’t be able to get enough of it! Yup, it definitely elevates these Pumpkin Muffins to a cut above the regular ones out there. I baked my muffins in an adorable Nordic Ware Maple Leaf Pan, which certainly adds to the harvest vibe.

However, these muffins bake up brilliantly in regular muffin tins if you don’t have a Maple Leaf Pan. No worries! Perfect with a cup of tea on Thanksgiving morning as you gear up for your busy day or very welcome when passed around to folks as a pre-meal snack. Make up a batch today, Trust me, you will be so thankful you have these little treats on hand!

• Servings: 12 - 16 muffins
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

recipe from: King Arthur Flour

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pumpkin purée (about half a standard 15-ounce can)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup boiled cider (for best flavor), or dark corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice; or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon + 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves + 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 batch of Apple Cider Cinnamon Spread (recipe below)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with muffin papers, and grease the papers. Or lightly grease a maple leaf pan.

To make the batter: Whisk together the pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, oil, boiled cider or corn syrup, salt, spices, baking powder, baking soda, and milk. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Add the flour and mix until well combined.

Drop about 2 tablespoons of the batter (a tablespoon cookie scoop works well here) into each muffin cup, spreading it to cover the bottom. Dollop on a heaping tablespoon of filling, then cover with another 2 tablespoons of batter. Sprinkle a little Demerara sugar over the top if you like.

If you’re using maple leaf molds, drop about 1 1/2 tablespoons of batter into each of the 6 molds. Add a scant tablespoon of filling, and spread about 1 1/2 tablespoons batter on top. The recipe will make 16 maple leaves, so you’ll need to bake in batches.

Bake the standard muffins for 18 to 20 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out crumb-free. Bake the leaf muffins for 16 to 18 minutes, testing them the same way.

Remove the muffins from the oven. After 5 minutes, gently loosen the edges of the leaf muffins, and turn the pan over onto a cooling rack; the muffins should drop out. For regular muffins, simply transfer them to a rack to cool.

Apple Cider Cinnamon Spread

You will only use about 1/2 of this spread in the pumpkin muffins, but it is great to have on hand. Use it as a delicious spread for bagels or English muffins or dip pita chips or apple slices into it.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups cream cheese; low-fat is fine
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons boiled cider

Directions:

Beat the cream cheese until it’s light and airy.

Add the remaining ingredients and beat until well incorporated.

Enjoy!

Inside Out Pumpkin Muffins filled with Apple Cider Cinnamon Cream Cheese brought to you by: Runcible Eats (www.leaandjay.com)