Pumpkin Spice Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling

One box spice cake mix and one can pumpkin

A friend recently asked me, "Where do you get your recipes?" Well, this recipe came from a small, white  haired lady I met at the grocery store. We literally bumped into each other as we were both reaching for Spice Cake Mix.

She said, "I need this to make my famous Pumpkin Spice Cake Muffins. My family loves them!" 

"That sounds delicious," I responded. "I wish I had your recipe."

"I'll give it to you," she smiled.

Right there in the aisle of Dillon's, I wrote her recipe on the box.

"Take one box spice mix and add a can of pumpkin and half a cup of water. Mix and bake," she confided.

"Really!" I said surprised. "No oil or eggs?"

"No. Just cake mix, pumpkin and water," she stressed.

She was so convincing, I purchased three boxes of Spice Cake mix because she said they are hard to find and only sold in the fall.

Ad one half cup water

Mix pumpkin, cake mix and water together

If you have a three year old handy wearing an Iron Man costume, it is acceptable to allow him to mix the three ingredients. If you do not have a three year old available, you may mix the ingredients yourself, though it may be difficult to find an Iron Man costume in your size.

It's OK to lick the beater because there is no egg

For the cream cheese filling you will need one package cream cheese,
one egg and half a cup of powdered sugar. Mix together.

It has been my experience that if a three year old says,
"But Nana, I really do know how to crack eggs,"
you should not necessarily believe them. Three year olds
often over-estimate their cooking abilities.

Beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar and egg together

Keep the three year old busy putting paper cups in muffin tins

Fill cups about third full with cake batter/pumpkin mix. Put about a teaspoon
of cream cheese filling on top of cake mixture.

It will look something like this...

Now put some cake mixture on top of the filling.

To make struesel, put half cup of flour, quarter cup of brown sugar,
half a stick of butter and half a teaspoon of cinnamon in a bowl

Mix together with a fork until crumbly



Place struesel on top of muffins and bake at 350 degrees for
about 20 minutes.

 I have to admit I was worried. The cupcake/muffin batter seemed exceptionally thick. I kept imagining the little old lady driving home and saying, "Oh, My! I forgot to tell that young lady to add half a cup of milk!"

They ended up being quite delicious. Without the cream cheese filling, I think they would have been pretty dense but you can try it and decide what you think.

Pretty muffins on cake stand

A friend made me this cake stand

Simply take an inexpensive glass candle holder (like you find at the
dollar store) andsuper glue it to an old fashioned, attractive plate
(the kind you see everywhere including the thrift store, garage
sales or probably your cupboard)