Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread

It's that time of year - Pumpkin Time! Pumpkin pie, pumpkin in your coffee, and here is a recipe for some amazing pumpkin bread! It's great for breakfast or as a dessert. I made a few loafs, froze 2, and took them out to thaw at room temperature the night before I wanted to cut into them. Make 3 in October, eat one right away, bring one out for Thanksgiving, and then again in December - Enjoy!

Prep time: 15min - Bake time: 40min - Yields 3 mini loaves (5 3/4 inches long X 3 inches wide X 2 inches deep)
Ingredients
For Cheese Batter:
   8oz cream cheese, room temperature
   1 large egg, room temperature, lightly beaten
   1/4 c powdered sugar
   1/2 tsp vanilla extract
For the Pumpkin Batter:
   3/4 c brown sugar
   2 large eggs
   3/4 c pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
   2 tbsp canola oil
   1 tsp vanilla extract
   1 1/4 c all-purpose flour
   1/4 tsp baking soda
   1 1/4 tsp baking powder
   1/4 tsp salt
   3/4 tsp cinnamon
   1/2 tsp nutmeg
   1/4 tsp ginger
   1/8 tsp cloves
Butter to grease pans

Instructions

   1. Preheat oven to 350F; lightly grease 3 mini loaf pans with butter.

   2. For the cheese batter, use a handheld electric mixer to beat together all ingredients in a medium bowl until smooth and creamy.

   3. For the pumpkin spice batter, whisk together the brown sugar and eggs in a medium bowl until light and fluffy, then stir in the pumpkin, canola oil, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk or sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the wet, being careful not to over-mix.

   4. Divide the pumpkin batter between the 3 loaf pans, then pour the cheese batter on top. Bake until golden around the edges, about 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted inside comes out clean or with just a couple crumbs.

    5. Cool 10 minutes in the pans, then remove from the pans and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Blueberry Muffins

Oh blueberries - how do I love thee? Let me could the ways: in my yogurt, in my bread, and in My Muffins! I went to the store the other day and the had blueberries on sale, tons of them, and they were as big as marbles! I HAD to bake and muffins were the obvious choice. So here's what I made, they were super yummy and the blueberries burst in your mouth, plus the cinnamon and nutmeg are a unique addition. Make them at your next brunch!

Prep time: 20min - Cook time: 25min - Makes 16-18 muffins

Ingredients

   12 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature

   1 1/4 c sugar

   1/4 c light brown sugar

   3 large eggs, room temperature

   2 tsp vanilla extract

   8 oz light sour cream

   1/4 c fat free milk

   2 1/2 c flour

   2 tsp baking powder

   1/2 tsp baking soda

   1/2 tsp cinnamon

   1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

   1/2 tsp salt

   1 pint fresh blueberries

Instructions

   1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place 16-18 paper muffin cups in muffin tins.

   2. Cream butter and sugar together in a stand-up mixer with the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

   3. With mixer on low speed, slowly add eggs, vanilla extract, sour cream and milk.

   4. In a separate bowl, whisk dry ingredients together until fully combined.

   5. With mixer still on low, slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients until just combined.

   6. Turn mixer off. Using a spatula, fold in blueberries until evenly distributed within the batter.

   7. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling cups nearly to the brim.

   8. Bake 25 mins, or until tops begin to brown and a cake-tester comes out clean. Let cool on a baking rack. Serve warm.