Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

I am really into fall this year, I think it is the mix of decorating, baking and beautiful days we have been having.  So this made me really want a pumpkin scented candle for our house.  After running errands this weekend the only one I could find, me and Brent agreed, smelt too much like Christmas.  A little disappointed I decided, why not bake something 'pumpkiny' to make the house really smell like pumpkin – enter Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins.  These definitely did the trick, the house smelled amazing and now we have a delicious and quick breakfast for the week!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins (original recipe from Annie’s Eats)
Makes 24 muffins
 

Ingredients:

  

For the filling:

• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar 

For the muffins:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon allspice
• ½ teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 15oz can of pumpkin puree
• 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

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. 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, spices, salt and baking soda; whisk to blend. In a different bowl 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. 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.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving.

Bacon Caramel Brownies

My first post deserves to be one of the more creative and yet delicious things I have ever made to kick things off right!  William’s house warming party was October 20^th and he was smoking 40lbs of pork shoulder for the occasion.  Desserts and sides were asked to be brought by others so of course I decided to bring a dessert.  Now with that much meat I figured I should also include meat in the dessert.  I have heard rumors about bacon being delicious with chocolate so I thought I would give it a try.  After searching for awhile I decided on Bacon Caramel Brownies.  They ended up wonderful and a huge hit!  Be adventurous and try them, they will surprise you!

Bacon Caramel Brownies (original recipe from Savour-Fare)

Ingredients:

For the bacon caramel:

• 3 slices bacon
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup sugar
• 6 tbsp. unsalted butter

For the brownies:

• 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, sliced into pieces
• 6 oz. semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces
• 1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup flour

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

1. In a saucepan, fry bacon until crisp.  Remove bacon, set aside onto a paper towel, reserving bacon grease in the pan. Add the cream to hot pan and let cool. When bacon has cooled, chop finely.
2. In a larger pan, heat the sugar over high heat until the mixture is liquid and a deep amber color. Add the butter and the cooled bacon cream all at once, and stir until the butter is melted. Add the chopped bacon and let the mixture cool thoroughly.
3. Line an 8 inch square pan with two sheets of aluminum foil that covers the bottom and sides of the pan. Grease the foil with butter or cooking spray.
4. In a large microwaveable bowl, melt the butter and the chocolate together in the microwave (start with 30 seconds, and stir thoroughly, then microwave for 10 seconds at a time, stirring between each, until the chocolate is melted and incorporated into the butter). Add the cocoa and whisk until smooth, then add in the eggs, one at a time, and the sugar, vanilla and finally the flour. Stir only until combined.
5. Scrape half of the batter into the prepared pan. Then drop about a third of the bacon caramel, evenly spaced, over the brownie batter in the pan. It doesn’t have to cover the whole batter and should instead be in splotches. Spread the remaining brownie batter over the top, then drop spoonfuls of the remaining caramel sauce over the top of the brownies and swirl.
6. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely. The caramel will be pretty gooey still, so you might want to wait to cut these until just prior to serving, and/or store in the refrigerator.