Disney Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Icing

As much as I love to cook and bake, I'm really weird sometimes about new recipes.  I enjoy collecting them but sometimes it takes a few years before I get around or get in the mood to try them.  I know I've had this recipe for at least 3-4 years because that's the last time I was an annual passholder at Disneyland which was included with a Fall email newsletter.  This is a treat that is offered in the park only during the Fall, although I have to admit I've never tried them (even though I looooove pumpkin).  We've been experiencing semi-Fall weather here in Las Vegas and I was staring at some cans of pumpkin in my pantry when this recipe popped into my head!  And everyone who has tried them raved about them.  So on to the recipe!

Disney Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Icing

  

Ingredients:

·       15 oz. pumpkin purée (not pie filling), canned

·       1 1/2 cups sugar

·       3 large eggs                                

·       3/4 cup canola oil                      

·       1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

·       1 cup flour

·       3/4 tsp. salt                                 

·       1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

·       3/4 tsp. baking soda                   

·       3/4 tsp. cinnamon                      

·       3/4 tsp. ground cloves

·       1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg             

·       1/2 cup raisins, optional

·       Cream Cheese Icing:               

·       1/2 cup unsalted butter              

·       6 oz. cream cheese

·       1/2 tsp. vanilla                           

·       1 cup powdered sugar               

·       1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

    Preheat oven to 325º. 

    In a large mixing bowl, whisk together pumpkin, sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla until well blended.  Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg and add to the pumpkin mixture and whisk until just blended. Over mixing may result in less tender muffins.  Fold in the raisins (if adding) until consistently distributed.

    Using a large scoop, portion mixture into muffin pans and bake, checking after 25 minutes. Insert a toothpick into center of muffin and remove. If toothpick is clean, the muffins are ready. If not, allow muffins to cook an additional 1-2 minutes or until toothpick is clean. 

Remove pans from oven and allow muffins to cool in pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.  Remove muffins from pan and allow to cool on rack for another 30–60 minutes until completely cooled. 

    Allow cream cheese and butter to soften at room temperature for about an hour.  Mix cream cheese and butter together until smooth.  Add vanilla extract, powdered sugar and cinnamon, and mix until well blended.  Remove from mixer, and cover and refrigerate until needed.

    Fill a pastry bag fitted with a star tip with icing.  Poke a hole into the center of each cooled muffin and squeeze icing directly into the middle of the muffin, finishing with a rosette on the top.

Servings:  24 muffins

For those who watch cooking shows, I know they are always saying the quality of the ingredient affects the taste so use the best you can find.  You might be taking that advice with a grain of salt wondering what products are they promoting or is a sponsor telling them to say that.  Well, I have no sponsors and I'm not paid to promote any certain brand.  So here's my advice-use the best product you can find!  It really does give more depth to dishes, especially baked goods.  I love King Arthur Flour (KAF)and the products they sell.  I also frequent Williams-Sonoma (WS), but more so their outlet store.  I have really noticed a difference in my baked goods since I started using KAF products especially their flours. Also, I highly recommend their Vietnamese cinnamon.  When you smell it, it smells like Red Hot candies!  It's that strong.  I always grate fresh nutmeg using a microplane grater.  Again, it will add more depth to the flavor.  Another ingredient I love to use is vanilla bean paste which I usually find at the WS outlet.  It's a thickened version of vanilla extract and includes the vanilla bean seeds.  If a recipe calls for a teaspoon of vanilla extract, you use a teaspoon of the paste.  Please NEVER use imitation vanilla, it has a weird after taste.  I almost always use Nielsen-Massey (NM) vanillas.  Even if you're a die-hard Mexican vanilla user, I would still only use NM (they have every flavor).  They have found arsenic in many brands made in Mexico and have found that brands touted as genuine vanilla were in fact imitation.  NM uses vanilla beans from Mexico, but process it themselves.  I sometimes use a product by Sonoma Syrup Co. called Vanilla Bean Crush.  It's a combination of Madagascar Bourbon (Bourbon refers to the island, not the alcohol) and Tahitian vanilla beans.  And it also has the seeds!  When you make the cream cheese icing, the tiny little seeds in the vanilla bean paste will give it a cute look (although you may have to explain to some people that they are vanilla bean seeds).  Ok enough of me espousing the benefits of great ingredients:

Disney Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Icing

Ingredients:

·       15 oz. pumpkin purée (canned)

·       1 1/2 cups sugar

·       3 large eggs                                

·       3/4 cup canola oil                      

·       1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

·       1 cup flour

·       3/4 tsp. salt                                 

·       1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

·       3/4 tsp. baking soda                   

·       3/4 tsp. cinnamon                      

·       3/4 tsp. ground cloves

·       1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg             

·       1/2 cup raisins, optional

·       Cream Cheese Icing:               

·       1/2 cup unsalted butter              

·       6 oz. cream cheese

·       1/2 tsp. vanilla                           

·       1 cup powdered sugar               

·       1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

    Preheat oven to 325º. 

    In a large mixing bowl, whisk together pumpkin, sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla until well blended.  Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg and add to the pumpkin mixture and whisk until just blended. Over mixing may result in less tender muffins.  Fold in the raisins (if adding) until consistently distributed.

    Using a large scoop, portion mixture into muffin pans lined with cupcake liners and bake, checking after 25 minutes. Insert a toothpick into center of muffin and remove. If toothpick is clean, the muffins are ready. If not, allow muffins to cook an additional 1-2 minutes or until toothpick is clean. 

Remove pans from oven and allow muffins to cool in pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.  Remove muffins from pan and allow to cool on rack for another 30–60 minutes until completely cooled. 

    Allow cream cheese and butter to soften at room temperature for about an hour.  Mix cream cheese and butter together until smooth.  Add vanilla extract, powdered sugar and cinnamon, and mix until well blended.  Remove from mixer, and cover and refrigerate until needed.

    Fill a pastry bag fitted with a star tip with icing.  Poke a hole into the center of each cooled muffin and squeeze icing directly into the middle of the muffin, finishing with a rosette on the top.

Servings:  24 muffins

The first batch I made, I used golden raisins.  I tried them at room temperature and didn't care for the texture of the raisins in the muffin.  After refrigerating, not only was the texture of the raisin better, but the overall taste was better.  With muffins and cupcakes, sometimes waiting really is better (I didn't say it would be easy!).  I do find with certain flavors, they do intensify when at room temperature or cooled, especially with pumpkin and banana.  Also, these are very moist muffins and refrigerating them gave them more structure.  

When filling the wells, I use my the large size scoop from Pampered Chef.  I use this same scoop for cupcakes.  With the raisins fill the scoop and maybe slightly rounded, but without the raisins, you want a level scoop.  Another tip I learned from KAF is to spray the inside of the cupcake liners with nonstick spray.  Ever take the liner off the muffin or cupcake and half of it went with the liner?  This will prevent that from happening.  

Even though you are keeping the cream cheese icing in the refrigerator until you're ready for it, you'll want to let it sit out to soften before using.  I would say 15-30 minutes depending on the temperature in your house.  Enjoy!