Pumpkin Muffins (with optional cream cheese filling)

Cheap Eat Challenge, Part 2: Watch as our family of 6 eats on less than $10/day.

Because at this time of year, you totally need sugar for breakfast too. Okay, well, probably not. But these are very good. They might have even ousted my favorite, but I'd have to eat them side-by-side to be sure. So add them to your plate of treats and eat them thusly.

Pumpkin Muffins (with an optional cream cheese filling)
adapted from food.com
Makes 24-30
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time 20 minutes
Cost: $2.40 (without cream cheese. That'll cost you another .40 if you can find it on sale--thanks, Aldi)
(flour: .30, eggs: .40, sugar: .35, pumpkin: .99, oil: .20, spices: .16)

3 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cloves
4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 pinch cardamom (you can skip if you don't have)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
4 eggs
2 C sugar
2 C pumpkin (about a 15 oz can)
1 1/4 C vegetable oil

Optional filling:
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1 tsp sugar
dash pumpkin pie spice

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix all ingredients (besides optional filling) together. Don't you just love instructions like that. They make my holiday bright.

Beat or mix cream cheese. Add sugar. Add spice.

Plop 1/2-1 tsp into center of each muffin and push it down. Yes, you do want to push it down. I thought it'd just sink in during baking, but they kind of just stay there like a great white peak, so push them down so you've got the top of your plop of cream cheese flush with your pumpkin batter.

Note: You don't have to do the cream cheese thing, but I was surprised at how much I liked it. It adds a little something special and takes the edge off any too-sweetness.

Bake muffins at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick (fork, knife, whatever) inserted comes out clean or with a few (very few) moist crumbs.

Allow to cool. These are good warm or cool, but I did favor the cool ones just slightly.

PRINTABLE RECIPE