Source: Annie's Eats
Makes 24 muffins
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 (see Note)
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
Note: A standard sized can of
pumpkin is 15 ounces, just shy of 2 cups (16 ounces). You could open another
can if you want and freeze the extra or just use one can which is what I did.
The amount is so little I don't think it makes a difference in the final
product.
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˚ F. 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. I always get inpatient here and mix it
together with my hands so that it looks like the texture of wet sand. I know
you aren't supposed to do it this way but I'm impatient. 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.
