Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

*Makes 24 muffins

For the muffins:

3 c. flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. ground cloves

1 Tbs pumpkin pie spice*

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

4 eggs

1 1/4 c. vegetable oil

2 c. sugar

2 c. pumpkin puree

For the filling:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 c. powdered sugar

For the streusel topping:

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 c. flour

4 Tbs. cold butter, cubed

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Prepare the filling 2 hours before making the muffins:

combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar and whip until smooth. For into a log on a plastic wrap or greased foil, making sure the diameter is small enough to fit into the well of a muffin pan. Wrap the log up tightly and freeze until slightly hardened, about 2 hours.

To make the muffins, combine the flour, spices, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Mix well and set aside. In another large bowl combine the eggs, vegetable oil, sugar, and pumpkin puree. Mix until well combined. Add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

To make the streusel topping, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Mix together with a pastry blender or two forks until crumbly.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two muffin pans with paper liners. To assemble the muffins, fill each muffin well 1/3 of the way with batter. Remove the cream cheese log from the freezer and slice into 24 equal slices. Place a slice on top of the batter in each muffin well and gently press (don't press all the way to the bottom but just slightly into the batter.) Divide the remaining muffin batter evenly among the muffin cups on top of the cream cheese. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the top of the batter. Bake the muffins for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the top of the muffin (only about 1/3 of the way down) comes out with moist crumbs. Let cool completely on a wire rack before serving.

*If you don't have pumpkin pie spice use the following combination: 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. ginger, 1/8 tsp. nutmeg, and 1/8 tsp. cloves. Mix together and you have the equivalent of 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice. Note that this recipe calls for 1 Tbs, so you will need to triple these amounts! :)

from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Ice-cream Puffs

This recipe comes from the Family Fun magazine. They are simple, but delicious. You could easily switch things up and use different ice cream and different sauces on top! Click here for step-by-step pictures on their website.

1 c. water

1/2 c unsalted butter, diced

1 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. flour

4 eggs

1 lightly beaten egg for coating

Vanilla ice cream

For chocolate sauce (I just melt chocolate chips!)

1/2 c. heavy cream

4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 1/2 tsp. unsalted butter

1. Move the oven rack to a position slightly below the center and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat two baking sheets with butter.

2. In a medium saucepan, bring the water, butter, sugar, and salt to a boil. Remove the pan from the stove top and stir in the flour until well blended. Return the pan to the stove top and cook on medium, stirring constantly, until the mixture pulls away from the sides, about 2-3 minutes (mine did after about 30 seconds!).

3. Remove the pan from the stove top once more and transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Stir in the 4 eggs, one at a time, until each is fully incorporated.

4. While the dough is still warm, use a tablespoon size cookie dough scoop to place 1 1/2 inch wide mounds on the baking sheets (I don't have one, so I just used a tablespoon slightly overfilled). Stagger the rows to give the puffs room to expand as they bake. Gently brush the top of each with the beaten egg.

5. Bake the puffs until golden brown 25-28 minutes. DO NOT remove them until they are fully baked or they will collapse. (I cooked mine for 30 minutes and they could have used another minute or two, I think mine might have been slightly bigger than theirs.) Transfer then to a wire rack to cool completely.

6. (I skipped this step and just added ice cream when I served them.) While the puffs are baking, line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Place 1 1/2 inch wide ice cream scoops on the sheet, one for each puff. Cover the ice cream with plastic wrap and freeze until ready to use.

7. For the chocolate sauce, bring the heavy cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Place the chocolate in a heat-safe bowl and pour the cream on top. Let the mixture sit for 3 minutes, then whisk it until it's smooth. Add the butter, then whisk again.

8. To assemble, cut each puff in half, place a scoop of ice cream on the bottom, replace the top, and drizzle with the warm chocolate sauce. Serve immediately.