Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Yesterday was the first chilly day and first snow here in Minnesota. In spite of what I just overheard the weather man say, Canada is not to blame for the cold air. :-) 

Whenever the weather is cool, I always crave warm drinks and sweets with spice.  These muffins are some of my favourites and are another Starbucks knock off.  They can also be made gluten free and still delicious!  Enjoy!

Muffin:

3 cups all-purpose flour (or gluten free pantry all purpose flour)

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1 teaspoon Nutmeg

1 teaspoon Ground Cloves

4 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice

1 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 eggs

2 cups Sugar

2 cups Pumpkin (canned or homemade)

1 1/4 cups Vegetable Oil

Cream Cheese:

8 oz. Cream Cheese

6 (or so) Tablespoons of Icing Sugar (or Powdered Sugar)

Dash of Vanilla

2 Tablespoons of Butter

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

2. Mix all of the "Muffin" ingredients and fill muffin tins (either greased or with paper cups).  Start by creaming the oil, sugar and eggs and then slowly add the rest of the ingredients.  (I'm a pretty inexact baker, so I apologize to those of you who like more precise instructions.)

3. Using a mixer, mix the "Cream Cheese" ingredients.  Use powdered sugar to taste...more will make it taste like icing, less like regular cream cheese.  You can also just cut the 8 oz of cream cheese into 24 small cubes push them down into the batter.  Also delicious and quite a bit easier.

4.  I used an icing bag to "pipe" the cream cheese into the muffin but you can just drop it by teaspoonful's (using two spoons) into the muffins and press it down into the batter with your finger.

5.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.  Makes 24 muffins.