Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

adapted from instructables.com

If you only make one pumpkin recipe this fall, you might want to make this it. Seriously these muffins were so delicious! The texture and just right pumpkin flavor made these the best pumpkin muffins I have ever had. That says a lot since I have a problem saying no to any muffin let alone a pumpkin one. Add cheesecake to the equation...and I dare you to try to keep me away from them.

One issue I have with many pumpkin recipes is the actual lack of pumpkin flavoring when it is mixed with spices like the dreaded Allspice, ginger or cloves. I never use any of these in my recipes. The result is a full pumpkin flavoring with no aftertaste of other ingredients. 

This recipe can make mini, standard or jumbo muffins. I made standard size.

Ingredients:

15 oz. can of pumpkin

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Filling:

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1 large egg yolk

5 Tbls. sugar

1/8 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix canned pumpkin, oil and sugar together, either by hand or with a mixer on low. Add in eggs, one at a time, combining thoroughly after each. Add vanilla.

In separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.

Slowly add flour mixture to liquids, combining thoroughly and scraping sides of bowl with a spatula until well combined.

In another separate bowl, mix together cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla until well combined.

Grease muffin tins or line with paper liners.

Drop in spoonfuls of pumpkin mixture. Add smaller spoonfuls of cream cheese mixture on top. Use a skewer or toothpick to swirl cream cheese mixture into pumpkin mixture.

Bake as follows, turning the tins halfway through baking times.

Mini muffins = 20 - 25 minutes

Standard muffins = 25 - 30 minutes

Jumbo Muffins = 30 -  40 minutes