Pumpkin Chocolate Swirl Muffins

What more can I say about pumpkin?  I simply love the stuff and it's versatility.  You can do so much with it.  I mean, you can have it as dessert, make it as a bread, have it in soup or as a main dish.  So many options.  And although pumpkin is a winter squash I'll be eating it pretty much all year.  Plus, since you all know how much I love muffins as either a breakfast food on the go or as a midday snack, I had to try these out...

PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE SWIRL MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 egg

3/4 cup egg substitute

1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin 

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup canola oil

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

In a mixing bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. In another bowl, combine egg, egg substitute, pumpkin, applesauce and oil; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Stir in chocolate chips. Coat muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray; fill two-thirds full with batter. Bake at 400 degrees F for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

PERSONAL NOTES:

The recipe originally states to use chocolate chips.  Something in my mind made me think that melting the chocolate first and making chocolate swirls would be a little more fun, more whimsical.  It tastes absolutely fine.  My only recommendation with making swirls is mix the melted chocolate with about 1/2 cup of the batter first.  Since it's just the melted chocolate, it has a different consistency in the muffin.  As I said, still yummy, just different.  Next time I'll be mixing it with the batter first. 

Super yummy!

(Original recipe can be found here from allrecipes.com)

Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

Back in early December, I went to dinner with a girlfriend of mine for some good Japanese food.  While I love Japanese in general, my friend went on to insist that I try the tempura cheesecake for dessert.  Really??? Fried cheesecake?  I know that somewhere in the middle of the country people are already frying up sticks of butter, but did I really want to have tempura cheesecake? 

Yes, I really did need to try the tempura cheesecake. It was outrageous.  It was warm, it was creamy and cheesecakey with a typical (and yes, absolutely delicious) tempura shell.

The reason I bring up the tempura cheesecake is because when I tried these Pumpkin Streusel Muffins, the inner cream cheese filling reminded me of the tempura cheesecake.  You really need to try it to know what I'm getting at.  And while the muffins are good at room tempurature, they are MUCH better warmed up.  Then again, most things are...right?

So here's the next muffin experimentation.  The original recipe can be found here from allrecipes.com.  It was pretty easy to make.  The combination of flavors - pumpkin and cream cheese - and textures - brown sugar and moist cake - make this a hit. 

PUMPKIN STREUSEL MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup canned or cooked pumpkin

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, cut into cubes

STREUSEL:

 

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon cold butter

1/4 cup finely chopped nuts

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. In another bowl, beat the egg, milk, pumpkin and oil. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups one-fourth full. Place one cream cheese cube in the center of each muffin cup; top with remaining batter. In a bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add nuts. Sprinkle over batter. Bake at 400 degrees F for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

PERSONAL NOTES:

When adding the cream cheese to the muffins, I used reduced fat.  Plus, I added 1/2 egg and 1 tsp sugar and blended them till creamy.  I felt it added a little extra "umph" to the mix.

 

I also substituted unsweetened applesauce for the oil.  Actually, I used 1/4 cup applesauce plus 1 tbls.  Then added 1 tbls oil.  For some reason muffins come together much nicer if it has even a little bit of oil.  So I add just that small amount. 

The streusel topping became rather gooey when baked.  A lot of it stuck to the pan which made me soak it for some time before scrubbing it off.  But by then it wiped clean pretty easily.

Pumpkin Corn Muffins

I've used a few different recipes for corn muffins over the years.  Last year I had a good one that used Bisquick.  Unfortunately, I can't seem to locate it.  During the winter months I would substitute Trader Joe's Pumpkin Pancake Mix for the Bisquick.

Since I have neither the pancake mix nor the old recipe, I went trolling online for a new one that would give me pumpkin corn muffins.  About.com has a recipe that just worked out wonderfully. The whole place smells delicious.  I took a muffin for a test drive about 5 minutes after it came out of the oven and I have to say this recipe is a keeper!

Here's their recipe:

PUMPKIN CORN MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS:

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup yellow corn meal

1/3 cup granulated sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1-1/4 cups canned pure pumpkin

1/3 cup milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease or paper-line 12 muffin cups.

Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. Beat eggs, pumpkin, milk and vegetable oil in medium bowl until combined. Add to flour mixture; mix thoroughly. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Serve muffins warm.

Yield: 12 muffins

NOTES:

The recipe doesn't call for it, but I used a heaping teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. I felt it just added a little something extra special.

Also, I like big muffins so I made only 10.  Aside from tasting yummy, each muffin is only 164 calories!