Pumpkin Spice Muffins w/ Cream Cheese Frosting

A cold front came in last week, and it actually feels like fall outside now. And these little muffins taste like fall! My first pumpkin recipe of the season - I'm sure there will be more to come! Recipe is courtesy of The Pioneer Woman - amazing. Check it out HERE.

You'll need:

Muffins

1 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1.5 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

4 Tbsp. butter, cut into small pieces and put in freezer for 30 minutes

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup evaporated milk

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

Topping

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Frosting

1/4 cup butter, softened

4 oz. cream cheese (1/2 an 8 oz. block)

1/2 pound powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

Sift all the dry muffin ingredients - flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.

Take out the butter that you cut up and froze.

Add it to the flour mixture, and use a pastry blender (or two knives) to break down the butter.

The butter will still be visible but combined well within the dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, evaporated milk, egg, and vanilla

Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients.

Fold together until JUST combined. Some of the dry ingredients should still be visible.

 

Now make the topping by combining the cinnamon, sugar, and nutmeg.

Divide the batter among 12 muffin cups (that were just greased with Baker's Joy - mixture of flour and oil) and sprinkle with topping. I still had about half my topping leftover, so next time I'll cut those ingredients in half before combining.

Bake for 25 minutes on 400 degrees. Don't mind by worn cupcake pan - it's been through a lot.

Let the muffins cool at least 10 minutes before transferring.

When they've cooled completely, you can start the frosting. First blend together the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla. Then add the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, blending after each addition.

I transferred my icing to a 12-inch disposable decorating bag and used a star tip to swirl it on. Does adding frosting turn a muffin into a cupcake? Oh well...

If you're feeling extra crafty (a rare feeling for me), sprinkle on more cinnamon. I put 1/2 tsp of cinnamon in a sifter and gently tapped it to get the "dusted" look.

Enjoy!