Muffins for Dinner

What do you do when you have leftover pumpkin puree in the fridge, a baby that has finally given way into a peaceful nap, and a rambunctious two year old that stopped kicking and screaming long enough to also drift off into sleepy land? Most would probably join the others in nappy nap bliss....but I couldn't do that, not when I had this recipe burning in my head...

Photo From: Annie Eats

So I set to work, frantically stirring and mixing away in a race against the little time I had to get these puppies in the oven and in my tummy. Unfortunately, I didn't make it, and had to split up making these throughout the rest of the afternoon in any spare moments I could find.

At one point it dawned on me that I had pulled a "Rachel" off of Friends. You know the episode where she begs Monica to allow her to make a dessert for Thanksgiving. And as she was making her "English Trifle" the pages in the cookbook stuck together and she ended up with half a trifle and the other half Shepherds Pie....

Fortunately mine wasn't quite that bad,  but I did accidentally combine two different pumpkin muffin recipes because I had them both pulled up on my laptop. Lucky for me they were both really similar and after a frantic moment I realized that the only thing I had truly done differently was the cheesecake filling, and it actually turned out to be a lovely mistake.

You know what else was lovely? The fact that I was actually able to get them in the oven. AND my two year old loved them....what he didn't love was dinner and I almost let him go to bed hungry, but couldn't resist those big blue eyes...I know, a pumpkin muffin probably wasn't the best reinforcer. Oh well,  tomorrow will be my do-over. Besides, I figured I needed to cut the kid some slack...he just had his two year check up yesterday complete with a shot.

There is my cheese ball boy all cute and yet still....two. He rang in at 28 pounds and 32 inches tall. Yep, folks we have a shorty on our hands....he is in the 10th percentile for height and 50th for weight. His pediatrician is finally only slightly concerned by the fact that he is not much into talking other than his non-stop jabbering. So we will take him to get evaluated to rule out any possibilities that might be hindering his talking. I'm hoping that he is just a late talker like his daddy, but would rather nip anything in the bud instead of waiting with my fingers crossed.

Until then we will feast on more pumpkin muffins, and I may even serve them again for dinner, or use them as talking bribery....because it made a lot and it would be a shame for them to go to waste.


Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins 
Recipe: adapted from Annie's Eats

Yield: 24 muffins

Ingredients

For the filling:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp vanilla

For the muffins:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups pumpkin puree
1¼ cups vegetable oil

For the topping:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice ( I just used cinnamon because I didn't have pumpkin pie spice)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions

• To prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla 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. ( I jut stuck the whole bowl in the freezer and then scooped out with a spoon).
• 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, 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 and mix with fork until it resembles coarse crumbs. Transfer to the refrigerator 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. 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.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving.