Recipes: Pumpkin Streusel Muffins and Pumpkin-Chocolate Cheesecake Bars
I owe people a ton of promised recipes, and I've just been way too busy lately to get around to formatting the posts. I apologize for the delay, and I'm rectifying it now. (In other words, brace yourself for Bluey's Recipe Spam of Dooooooom. You've been warned.)
This post is primarily for my dear, darling geminiscorp, who loves autumn and pumpkin goodies. Last year, I posted Pumpkin Spice Cookies with Cinnamon Icing, which I still recommend to those of you who like pumpkin, but for this year I've also found Pumpkin-Chocolate Cheesecake Bars, which are decadent and creamy and delicious, and Pumpkin Streusel Muffins, which can be modified in a variety of ways (including swapping in sweet potato for the pumpkin) and are a very lightly sweet breakfast bread or dinner accompaniment, with a nicely crunchy praline-style topping. (They pair very well with ham or other pork entrees, as well as chicken or turkey. I served them last weekend with a mustard-maple roasted pork loin, and they were a hit.) Potential modifications are noted in the recipe.
Without further ado:
Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
Muffins:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (not self-rising)
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup chopped cashews (Swap: chopped peanuts, if you aren't allergic, like I am.)
1/4 cup raisins (Swap: golden raisins, if you aren't sensitive to sulfur dioxide.)
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon nutmeg (freshly grated, if possible)
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie mix (Swap: equal amount cooked, mashed sweet potato)
2/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Topping:
4 tablespoons packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons chopped cashews (Swap: chopped peanuts)
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray regular-sized muffin tip with cooking spray. In medium bowl, mix flour, cornmeal, granulated sugar, 1/4 cup of nuts, the raisins, baking powder and nutmeg.
2. In another medium bowl, beat eggs slightly. Stir in pumpkin (or sweet potato), milk and oil until well blended. Add to dry ingredients all at once; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. (Batter will be lumpy, but if it's too dry, add more milk until everything can be just combined.) Fill muffin cups 3/4 full.
3. In small bowl, mix topping ingredients. Sprinkle evenly over muffins.
4. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan and serve warm.
Pumpkin-Chocolate Cheesecake Bars
Crust:
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 granulated sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
Filling:
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
Topping:
1 1/4 cups sour cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan. Combine graham cracker crumbs and 1/4 cup sugar. Add the 1/3 cup melted butter; mix well. Press into bottom of prepared pan and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and the 1 3/4 cups sugar until combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating on low speed after each addition until just combined. Stir in the pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Pour 1 1/4 cups of the filling into a medium bowl. Set both bowls aside.
3. Combine chocolate and butter; melt over low heat. Stir melted chocolate into the 1 1/4 cups pumpkin filling; carefully spread filling over crust. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Carefully pour remaining pumpkin filling over the baked layer, spreading evenly.
4. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes more, or until slightly puffed around edges and just set in center. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, combine sour cream and the 1/4 sugar for topping. Cover; let stand at room temperature while bars cool.
5. Gently spread the sour cream mixture over the bars. Cool completely. Cover and chill for 4 to 24 hours before cutting. Makes 24.
Enjoy, everybody! Gem, I hope these hit the spot. :D
This post is primarily for my dear, darling geminiscorp, who loves autumn and pumpkin goodies. Last year, I posted Pumpkin Spice Cookies with Cinnamon Icing, which I still recommend to those of you who like pumpkin, but for this year I've also found Pumpkin-Chocolate Cheesecake Bars, which are decadent and creamy and delicious, and Pumpkin Streusel Muffins, which can be modified in a variety of ways (including swapping in sweet potato for the pumpkin) and are a very lightly sweet breakfast bread or dinner accompaniment, with a nicely crunchy praline-style topping. (They pair very well with ham or other pork entrees, as well as chicken or turkey. I served them last weekend with a mustard-maple roasted pork loin, and they were a hit.) Potential modifications are noted in the recipe.
Without further ado:
Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
Muffins:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (not self-rising)
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup chopped cashews (Swap: chopped peanuts, if you aren't allergic, like I am.)
1/4 cup raisins (Swap: golden raisins, if you aren't sensitive to sulfur dioxide.)
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon nutmeg (freshly grated, if possible)
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie mix (Swap: equal amount cooked, mashed sweet potato)
2/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Topping:
4 tablespoons packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons chopped cashews (Swap: chopped peanuts)
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray regular-sized muffin tip with cooking spray. In medium bowl, mix flour, cornmeal, granulated sugar, 1/4 cup of nuts, the raisins, baking powder and nutmeg.
2. In another medium bowl, beat eggs slightly. Stir in pumpkin (or sweet potato), milk and oil until well blended. Add to dry ingredients all at once; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. (Batter will be lumpy, but if it's too dry, add more milk until everything can be just combined.) Fill muffin cups 3/4 full.
3. In small bowl, mix topping ingredients. Sprinkle evenly over muffins.
4. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan and serve warm.
Pumpkin-Chocolate Cheesecake Bars
Crust:
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 granulated sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
Filling:
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
Topping:
1 1/4 cups sour cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan. Combine graham cracker crumbs and 1/4 cup sugar. Add the 1/3 cup melted butter; mix well. Press into bottom of prepared pan and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and the 1 3/4 cups sugar until combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating on low speed after each addition until just combined. Stir in the pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Pour 1 1/4 cups of the filling into a medium bowl. Set both bowls aside.
3. Combine chocolate and butter; melt over low heat. Stir melted chocolate into the 1 1/4 cups pumpkin filling; carefully spread filling over crust. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Carefully pour remaining pumpkin filling over the baked layer, spreading evenly.
4. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes more, or until slightly puffed around edges and just set in center. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, combine sour cream and the 1/4 sugar for topping. Cover; let stand at room temperature while bars cool.
5. Gently spread the sour cream mixture over the bars. Cool completely. Cover and chill for 4 to 24 hours before cutting. Makes 24.
Enjoy, everybody! Gem, I hope these hit the spot. :D