Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese

Rachel here.

So while my parents were relishing the power in my mom's New York apartment this past weekend, in my house we were spending the days in our pajamas while blowing our noses. For some reason these family-wide colds make me highly effective in the kitchen. This weekend I made a batch of pumpkin muffins with cream cheese and a streusel topping. They were delicious. Thank god I made them, too, because they're the only thing sick little M has wanted to eat for days.

I found the recipe at allrecipes.com. There were several delicious looking alternatives I might just have to try soon.

INGREDIENTS
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons brown sugar

4 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons white sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons chopped pecans

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups canned pumpkin
1/3 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

METHOD
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour 18 muffin cups, or use paper liners.
To make the filling: In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until soft. Add egg, vanilla and brown sugar. Beat until smooth, then set aside.
For the streusel topping: In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, cinnamon and pecans. Add butter and cut it in with a fork until crumbly. Set aside.
For the muffin batter: In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Make a well in the center of flour mixture and add eggs, pumpkin, olive oil and vanilla. Beat together until smooth.
Place pumpkin mixture in muffin cups about 1/2 full. Then add one tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture right in the middle of the batter. Try to keep cream cheese from touching the paper cup. Sprinkle on the streusel topping.
Bake at 375 degrees F (195 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes.

Fake It Til You Make It

One recipe is an anomaly. Two suggests a pattern. Three and you're full on into a lifestyle, which is why we decided that the third post by our friend Susan involving a "fake" recipe, ie a recipe that isn't entirely from scratch, deserves a nickname. And so it is that we introduce Susan, Miss Fake It Til You Make It.

I need to make one thing clear immediately: All three of these recipes have been very tasty. It's just that Susan is the same friend who literally went into my freezer one night while having dinner at my house and pulled out a container of Cool Whip and proclaimed to the seated group something like, "AHA! I KNEW this wasn't real whipped cream!!!" And she has brought that story up more than once while enjoying a tasty meal at my home with others.

It was scarring.

So I have found it, um, ironic that she's perfectly fine with faking it with her desserts. Curious, don't you think? I will also add that Susan brought a cake plate to display her "fake" recipe for the blog photo. So presentation is important but having all real ingredients is apparently not.

Anyway, here's the latest in Susan's fake cooking life. I have eaten more of these than is healthy and plan to make them one day soon for sure. You'll like them, too, and you don't have to tell anyone that the whole thing didn't take you hours in the kitchen. :)

(If you want to see Miss Fake It Til You Make It's other recipes, click here for Fake Cake and here for fake turtles candy.

Apple Streusel Cheesecake Bars

ingredients
1 pouch Betty Crocker oatmeal cookie mix
1/2 cup firm butter or margarine
2 packages (8 oz ea) cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon vaniilla
1 egg
1 can apple pie filling or 1-2 granny smith apples, diced
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped walnuts


method
Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray 13x9 in pan with cooking spray.
Place cookie mix in food processor. Cut in butter until the mixture is crumbly. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the crumbs; press the remaining mixture in the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 mins.

Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese, sugar, flour, vanilla and egg until smooth. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the partially baked crust. Mix the apples with cinnamon (and a little sugar if using real apples). Spoon the apple mixture over the cream cheese. Sprinkle with reserved crumbs and nuts.

Bake 35-40 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool for 30 min. Then refrigerate to chill and store.