The Best Pumpkin Muffins. Ever.

Even though it isn't any where near close to feeling like fall, or even Indian Summer here in TX, the years I've spent away have started a new internal clock for fall and fall related items, and anything pumpkin.  I love my family pumpkin bread recipe.  I love pumpkin spice lattes.  Pumpkin cheesecake at Olive Garden. So I wanted to make a pumpkin muffin.  And I also wanted to incorporate sugared pecans.  So this is what I came up with - a cream cheese filled pumpkin muffin topped with struesel and sugared pecans.  It is about as close to heaven as you can get (if that you believe in that kinda thing) I think.


For the sugared pecans I made them in advance, cooked the full time, and added in to the top of the muffins about 10 min in to cooking.  I would really recommend cooking the pecans (for this recipe only!) about 10-15 minutes and then adding in with the struesel topping and cooking the full length of muffins.


You will also want to prep your cream cheese filling and throw it in to the freezer in advance... works much better that way.


Sugared Pecans
(this will make a lot of pecans, if you want to keep them around and snack - I recommend chopped for the muffins, halve for snacking.)


Ingredients:
2 cups pecans
1 egg white
1 tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla 
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar


Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 
Combine all dry ingredients, mix well set aside. 
Combine all wet ingredients, mix until egg white is slightly foamy.  Add pecans.  Stir to mix well, making sure all pecans are completely coated.  Slowly stir in the dry mixture and coat pecans well.
Place pecans on a greased sheet of aluminum foil.  Cook for 15 minutes, stir.  Cook another 15 min if not adding to muffins.


Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese filling
Make about 24


Cream Cheese filling (make first!!)
Ingredients
8 oz packaged cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar - sifted


Directions
Combine cream cheese in a med-large bowl and blend with an electric mixer until smooth.
Place in foil or plastic wrap and put in freezer for about an hour (or for the time you are prepping the rest of the muffins - it needs to be semi soft)




Struesel Topping 
Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp flour
4 tbsp butter (cubbed then slightly softened)
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon


Directions
Combine all ingredients together and mix with forks until cumbly.


Pumpkin Muffins
Preheat oven to 350


Ingredients
3 cups flour, sifted 3 times
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground cloves 
2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
4 eggs
1 1/4 cup vegetable oil or canola oil
2 cups sugar
1 can pumpkin puree (I use Liby's, 15 oz can)


Directions
Combine the flour (make sure to sift it!), spices, salt, and baking soda and mix with an electric mixer - set aside.
In a new bowl for add sugar and oil.  Mix well on low until well blended.  Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each.
Add pumpkin and mix well.
Slowly add the dry mixture and mix on med until well blended.


Line the muffin pan.  Remove cream cheese mix from freezer.  Make 24 equal portions of the cream cheese mix.  Fill the cups about half full with the muffin mix, then add the cream cheese and fill the cup with muffin mix on top.  Add the struesel mix and pecans to the top of muffins.  
Bake for 20-25 min.

Muffins with filling in half the cup

Finished muffins

Earl Grey Cupcakes with Lemon Honey Frosting

I made these for my awesome friend Lara's birthday, as she LOOOVES Earl Grey tea.  I basically shopped around recipes and voila, custom creation.  Same for the frosting.  With both I will actually be reworking using a chiffon cake recipe (testing it next with a spice chai cupcake!).  The combination was tasty, and everyone liked them, but being me, it wasn't exactly what I was going for, and not as fluffy as I wanted.  So watch for the new version coming soon.   This works as a good test drive also since Mike and I are wanting to do multiple cupcake flavors for the wedding.  Nice way to work it out waaay in advance!


Earl Grey Cupcakes


Makes about 12 regular sized cupcakes


Ingredients 

1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk, at room temperature

4 Earl Grey teabags* Honestly, I would double this!  

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature 

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

2 large eggs, free-range or organic

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons self-rising flour

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.

Heat the milk in a saucepan over medium heat until it just begins to boil. Remove from the heat and add the teabags. Cover and leave to infuse for about 30 minutes, then discard the teabags.

In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is pale and smooth, which should take 3-5 minutes using an electric hand mixer. Add the almond extract, if using, and the eggs, one at a time, mixing for a few minutes after each addition.

Sift the two flours together into a separate bowl. Add one-third of the flours to the creamed mixture and beat well. Pour in one-third of the infused milk and beat again. Repeat these steps until all the flour and milk have been added. * Sift 3x!!

Carefully spoon the mixture into the cups, filling them about two-thirds full. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes until slightly raised and golden brown. To check they are cooked, insert a wooden skewer in the center of one of the cupcakes - it should come out clean. 

Remove from the oven and leave the cupcakes in the pan for about 10 minutes before carefully placing on a wire rack to cool. Once they are completely cool, you could frost the cupcakes.

Lemon Honey Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

4 ounces or 1/2 package of Philly cream cheese

2 tablespoons butter

2-3 cups sifted powdered sugar

2 tablespoons thick honey

1/2 large lemon, juiced

zest of 1 lemon

Directions

Bring butter to room temperature by letting it sit out for 1 or 2 hours.
Sift powdered sugar into a bowl or onto parchment.
Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed until creamy.
Add 1 cup of the powdered sugar and the honey. Beat until combined.

Add the juice of lemon and zest.

Add more sugar and honey until you get to the consistency and sweetness you like.

Note: The honey I used was very thick, meaning it was not pourable unless I warmed it in a water bath first. This works great for the frosting as it keeps it thick. Note that if you use pourable honey the texture of both recipes may change slightly!