Fall Breakfast Recipe: Pumpkin Muffins with Eggnog Cream Cheese Swirl
It’s fall, and time to indulge my love of all things pumpkin. Pumpkin pasta, pumpkin gratin, pumpkin pie, that ever-popular pumpkin spice latte and — perhaps most of all — pumpkin muffins. I love having a warm, tender muffin in the morning for breakfast. These fit the the bill, spiced and moist. But fall will be over so quickly, and winter will be here, so I decided to make sure these would carry through properly to the holidays! Why not a little swirl of eggnog-flavored cream cheese? Pumpkin and eggnog? This is one clash of holiday flavors that I love, and I hope you will too!
I confess I love just about any muffin or cupcake a little better when there’s cream cheese involved. These get just a swirl — not too sweet, and not too much — of cream cheese spiced with nutmeg and livened up with rum. It’s a little kick of eggnog in the tender, gingery muffin. Some of cream cheese filling spills over the top in a swirl, and some of it stays in the center of the muffin as a creamy surprise.
Muffins are perhaps the best take-and-go breakfast, and they can double as a snack or even dessert. Top one of these off with a squirt of whipped cream for a not-too-sweet little cake to close a fall meal of soup and salad.
Pumpkin Muffins with Eggnog Cream Cheese Swirl
Makes 12 muffins
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 8 ounces
cream cheese, softened at room temperature for an hour
- 2
large egg yolks
- 1/4 cup
sugar
- 1 teaspoon
vanilla
- 1 tablespoon
dark rum
- 3/8 teaspoon
nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon
cinnamon
For the muffins:
- 1/2 cup
unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2
large eggs
- 1 1/3 cups
pureed pumpkin
- 1 cup
light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons
unsulphured dark molasses
- 1 3/4 cups
all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon
baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon
salt
- 1 teaspoon
ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon
ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon
ground cloves
Dash of freshly-ground black pepper
Instructions
To make the filling, whip the softened cream cheese with a whisk or hand mixer until very smooth and creamy. Whip in the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, rum, nutmeg, and cinnamon. (Can be made a day ahead and chilled in the refrigerator, if desired.)
To make the muffins, heat the oven to 375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
Whisk together the melted butter, eggs, and pumpkin. Add the brown sugar and molasses and whisk until smooth. Dump in the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and black pepper, and whisk until just combined. The batter will be relatively thick.
Take out about 3/4 cup batter and set aside. Divide the remaining batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups. They will be nearly full. Use a spoon to poke a deep cavity in the center of each muffin, and fill this cavity with the chilled cream cheese mixture. Put a tablespoon of the reserved batter on top of the filling.
Bake for 25 minutes or until the filling in the center is puffed and set, just barely golden brown, and the muffin batter is fully cooked through. Cool at least 5 minutes before eating.
If you're feeling celebratory, serve with a squirt of whipped cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg.
Store for up to 5 days at room temperature in a covered container.
(Images: Faith Durand)