Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

So I love October. It's probably, no, definitely, my favorite month. The air gets a little cooler, the beers a little darker and the food a little, well, how do I put this? The food gets better. Mostly because of pumpkin. But also because of pumpkin muffins, pumpkin coffee, pumpkin scones, pumpkin drugs. You know the deal. And, without a doubt, when I finally started baking again (it's been a while if you follow this blog), pumpkin had to be the debut. So pumpkin 'twas.

These little muffies were super tasty, moist and delicious. They weren't super sweet, and in fact, I would even recommend that you use a cream cheese frosting if you want something a little more dessert like. See my recipe for cream cheese frosting here. But, if you're fine with a muffin that is indeed more like a muffin, give it a go friends!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour 18 muffin cups.

2. For the cream cheese filling, in a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until soft. Add egg, vanilla and brown sugar. Beat until smooth, then set aside. 

3. For the streusel topping: In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, cinnamon and pecans. Add butter and cut it in with a fork until crumbly. Set aside. 

4. For the muffin batter: In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Make a well in the center of flour mixture and add eggs, pumpkin, olive oil and vanilla. Beat together until smooth. 

5. Place pumpkin mixture in muffin cups about 1/2 full. Then add one tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture right in the middle of the batter. Try to keep cream cheese from touching the paper cup. Sprinkle on the streusel topping. 

6. Bake at 375 degrees  for 20 to 25 minutes.

Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake

I am one of those obnoxious people who begins to celebrate Christmas at the first cool day after summer. I've been listening to the Holiday Stations on Pandora since September. I have a little Santa Bear ornament handing on my dresser knob all year long. So I get it, December is for Christmas.

But, but, before you go all uber-festive on me, remember one thing. Technically, fall isn't over. In fact, we have a full two weeks until it's over, and I say we take advantage. So I have just a few more recipes coming your way, and this one was the co-star to our Thanksgiving dinner this year. You see, I like Pumpkin Pie, but I will only eat my own Family Recipe. So if you're finicky like I am about the seasonal favorite, try a similar rendition, Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake.

Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 pinch ground cloves

1 pinch ground nutmeg

1/2 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Blend in eggs one at a time. Remove 1.5 cup of batter and spread into bottom of crust; set aside.

2. Add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the remaining batter and stir gently until well blended. Carefully spread over the batter in the crust.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until center is almost set. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Cover with whipped topping before serving.

**A nice tip to save time -- use pumpkin pie filling instead of plain canned pumpkin with all the flavor and none of the work!

Pumpkin Pie Swirl Brownies

Well, here is to new beginnings. After just under three months at Healthworks, I am leaving to begin the next chapter of my story. Though personal training has been a good experience and one I learned a lot a lot from, I am so ready to move forward, and I am delighted to tell you all the I accepted a job at the Tufts University's Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, and it starts Tuesday.

Before I leave Healthworks, however, I have to bake something for the girls (and one guy). So, Pumpkin Pie Swirl Brownies it was. Eat up, trainers!

Pumpkin Pie Swirl Brownies

¾ cup AP flour

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

¾ cup butter, melted

1 ½ cups white sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 eggs

¼ cup cocoa powder

¾ cup chocolate cups

½ cup pumpkin puree

¾ tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x9 baking pan with spray. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt.

2. In another bowl, stir together the melted butter, sugar, and vanilla extract. When combined, beat in the eggs by one until just incorporated. Gradually add the flour mixture, and stir the batter until it's evenly moistened. Divide the batter in half in two separate bowls.

3. Into one of the bowls, mix in the cocoa powder and chocolate chips until well blended. In the second bowl of batter, stir in the pumpkin puree, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.

4. Spread 1/2 of the chocolate batter into the bottom of the prepared baking pan, and follow with 1/2 of the pumpkin batter, and repeat the layers. Drag a kitchen knife or small spatula gently through the layers in a swirling motion, to create a marbled appearance.

5. Bake in the preheated oven until the brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes. Cool in pan and serve.

Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake Muffins

It is October 3, 2011. October! That means it's time for apple picking, trick-o-treating, and a little piece of heaven I like to call... pumpkin season. As my loyal followers know, I was on quite the pumpkin spree last year. Pumpkin Pie Biscotti, Pumpkin Spice Latte, Pumpkin Bundt Cake, Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins, Pumpkin Pie and Stuffed Pumpkin Cupcakes.

Okay, I went nuts. But I love this seasonal gourd. It's wonderful and spicy and warm and fantastic. And once October September August hits, I start thinking of wonderful ways to use it in every recipe possible.

On a lazy Saturday, Julia and I made this recipe, and though it's not the prettiest little thing you ever laid eyes on, it tastes amazingly moist and autumny and I highly recommend it... just maybe not for a party. Julia and I have an issue with cake in the house. Whenever we make it, little kitchen elves come and take bites of the cake all day until it is gone. Solution? Make everything miniature.

Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake Muffins
For the Topping

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated white sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp cold butter

1/2 cup chopped pecans

For the Cake

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups AP flour

t tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/4 tsp salt

1. In a small bowl, combine sugars and cinnamon. Cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in pecans; set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

3. In yet another bowl, combine the sour cream, pumpkin and vanilla; mix well.

4. In a fourth bowl, combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream mixture. Beat on low just until blended. 

5. Spread the batter into 24 greased muffin tins and sprinkle with topping. Bake at 325 degrees F for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Tomorrow marks the first day of spring. We all know that right? The pansies are poking their heads out of garden pots all over and the days are getting just a little bit longer. We all remember when the winter was just beginning and now we can finally breathe a sigh of relief in that it is almost over.

I reserve most pumpkin recipes for the fall and winter. Last fall, I went through whoopie pies, lattes, pies inside cupcakes, biscotti and muffins through my pumpkin kick. Okay... maybe I am a bit of a pumpkin junkie.

So when my friend Lily asked me to devise up a pumpkin cake for her friend, I leaped at the opportunity to dust off the old can of Libby's and hop to it.

Oh-me-oh-my. Twas not disappointed! Unfortunately, I only have pictures of the full cake instead of a slice, but it got rave reviews and I will be making it again when the leaves turn back to brown.


Pumpkin Spice Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
2 cups white sugar
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups canned pumpkin
4 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 12x18 inch pan. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl combine sugar and oil. Blend in vanilla and pumpkin, then beat in eggs one at a time. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Spread batter into prepared 10 inch bundt pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.

For the Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
3 cups powdered sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla


1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until smooth with no visible lumps. Add the cream cheese an beat until combined.
2. Add the powdered sugar, maple syrup and vanilla and beat until smooth. Be careful no to overbeat the filling, or it will lose structure. Drizzle or spread frosting on cake and enjoy!