Ellie Krieger's Pumpkin Pie Muffins (slightly adapted) with Spiced Maple-Honey Cream Cheese

If you're like me and you've been drooling over everyone's pumpkin-inspired delicacies, but trying to behave yourself, you will LOVE this recipe. It's like a no-guilt pumpkin fix that you can feel good about. Unless, of course, you can't stop eating them....there's always that possibility.

Ellie's muffin recipe uses buttermilk, which is responsible for making the muffins perfectly moist and tender. An even mix of all-purpose flour and whole wheat combine to create a perfectly light muffin, not dense whatsoever. I made a few changes to the spices, added some maple extract, and topped my muffins with a sprinkle of raw cane sugar for a sweet finish. To go along with the muffins I made a Spiced Maple-Honey Cream Cheese spread which makes these feel a little sinful, even though they're really not.

Pumpkin Pie Muffins
Adapted from Ellie Krieger's The Food You Crave
Ellie says "These scrumptious muffins are brimming with fragrant pumpkin pie spices that will fill your kitchen with their aroma as they bake and heighten your anticipation of that first warm bite."

Cooking spray/muffin liners
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-grain pastry flour or whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
NOTE: I replaced the ginger, cloves & nutmeg with 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice. I also added 1/2 teaspoon of ground cardamom
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsulfured molasses
1/4 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
NOTE: I also added about 1/2 teaspoon maple extract
3/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
1/4 cup unsalted raw pumpkin seeds

Preheat the oven to 400F. Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray. (I just used muffin liners).

In a medium bowl, whisk together both flours, the baking soda, salt and spices. In a large bowl. whisk together the sugar, molasses, oil, and one of the eggs until combined. Add the other egg and whisk well. Whisk in the pumpkin and vanilla (also maple extract, if using). Stir in the flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the buttermilk, just until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling each about 2/3rds full, and sprinkle the tops with the pumpkin seeds (I also sprinkled with raw cane sugar at this point). Tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the muffins comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the muffins to loosen them and unmold. Enjoy warm or let cool completely before storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Spiced Maple-Honey Cream Cheese
Just something I mixed up to help satisfy my pumpkin & cream cheese craving.
4 ozs. softened cream cheese
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, or to taste

Mix together with a spoon. Can be used on all sorts of fun things: muffins, toast, biscuits, graham crackers, and even freshly sliced apples and pears.

Notes/Results: These muffins were everything I hoped they would be. The perfect, and much healthier option, to overindulging in pumpkin roll, pumpkin cupcakes, or a pumpkin pie blizzard. Ellie notes in the recipe that the muffins freeze well, which is great news for me since no one else in my house likes pumpkin. (Yes, everyone in my house is crazy!)These muffins are deliciously moist and tender, with a slight crunch on top from the pumpkin seeds. They are delicious all on their own, but do benefit from a light spread of cream cheese (flavored or even unflavored).

Nutritional Facts
Serves 12
Serving Size: 1 Muffin
Calories: 205
Total Fat: 7g
Protein: 5g
Carb: 32g
Fiber 2g
Chol: 36mg
Sodium: 239mg


I am submitting this to my sweet friend Roz over at La Bella Vita for her Seasonal Saturday event.

Trick-or-Treat Turnovers

These Trick-or-Treat Turnovers are lots of fun for the kids (and adults too)! Canned biscuit dough is flattened to a four inch circle and filled with a beef filling. A second biscuit is flattened into another 4 inch circle and carved just like a pumpkin. The carved biscuit is placed over the biscuit with the meat mixture and pinched to seal the edges. Each Trick-or-Treat Turnover is brushed with a lightly beaten egg and baked until golden, about 15 minutes.

The filling for the Trick-or-Treat Turnovers can easily be switched to anything your heart desires. The possibilities are endless. You could even build a little "build your own station" with lots of chopped up little fillings and different cheese so that each person could customized theirs to their own liking. Either way, it really is a very fun way to spend time together in the kitchen.

Trick-or-Treat Turnovers
Adapted from Taste of Home Ultimate Halloween Magazine, also found online HERE
Makes 8 very large turnovers
1/2 pound of ground beef (I used 95% lean)
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
4 ounces cubed part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup prepared mustard (I subbed tomato paste)
2 tubes (16.3 ounces each) large refrigerated flaky biscuits (I used Grands Golden Wheat,Reduced Fat)
1 egg, lightly beaten

In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add cheese and mustard; cook and stir until cheese is melted. Cool slightly.

Flatten each biscuit into a 4-in circle; place four biscuits in each of two greased 15-in x 10-in x 1-in baking pans. Spoon 2 heaping tablespoons of meat mixture onto each.

Using a sharp knife or cookie cutters, cut out jack-o'-lantern faces from remaining biscuit circles; place over meat mixture and pinch edges to seal tightly. Reroll scraps if desired and cut out stems for pumpkins.

Brush with egg. Bake at 350F for 10-15 minutes (mine took about 20 minutes) or until golden brown.

Notes/Results: These turnovers are probably our favorite Halloween-inspired recipe so far. Everyone really had a great time and enjoyed customizing their own pumpkin. I'm thinking of making these for our neighborhood Halloween party and creating a build your own station for the kids. There are a couple of notes worth sharing. The turnovers themselves are quite big. I think it would be possible to cut one biscuit in half and use one one biscuit to make each turnover. Also, depending on the filling they can be a little on the dry side. I think they would be great served with a dipping sauce on the side. Depending on your filling you could use honey mustard, marinara, cheese sauce, or barbecue sauce.

I am submitting these little handheld Halloween treats to my friend Deb at Kahakai Kitchen for her Souper Sundays event. Happy 2nd birthday Souper Sundays!


I am submitting this to my friend Brenda at Brenda's Canadian Kitchen for her weekly celebration of cookbooks, Cookbook Sundays.

I am also submitting these turnovers to my friend Roz over at La Bella Vita for her Seasonal Saturdays event.