Murder at the Pumpkin Pageant | Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Muffins
Murder at the Pumpkin Pageant reminded me a lot of reading Nancy Drew. The story and characters are simple. No one is traumatised by what would be severely traumatising events. And the characters are oh so wholesome. I loved Nancy Drew when I was young, I collected nearly the whole set. But as an adult I wonder if I would feel the same way about those books as I do this one. Everything was over explained and the events that happened were repeated in conversation over and over. And don’t get me started on the dialogue - straight out of a Hallmark movie. It made me wonder, if, like Nancy Drew, this was meant for a younger audience. ⭐️⭐️
Now onto the part that I did like about this book. The food. As the cover suggests this is full of autumn baked treats and drinks. Recipes are included in the back and some are even written out within the story. Those parts I did enjoy and it really made me want to start baking with pumpkin!
I’ve been making these spiced pumpkin muffins for years. And ever since I got this silicone mold, I have to make a few in the shape of leaves and pumpkins. 🍂🎃 They are slightly indulgent but also packed with whole grains and pumpkin so we’ll call that balance. Get the recipe in the link in our profile!
Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Muffins
Makes: 24 muffins
Filling
250g (8 oz.) cream cheese, room temp
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Batter
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¾ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 large eggs
1 ½ cups sugar
2 cups pumpkin puree
½ cup neutral-flavoured oil (I like avocado)
¾ cup sour cream
Instructions
Mix together filling ingredients until smooth.
Whisk together flours, spices, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
Whisk together eggs, sugar, pumpkin, oil and sour cream until well combined. Fold in flour mixture just until incorporated.
Scoop a heaping tablespoon of batter into paper-lined (or silicone) muffin cups. Spread the batter to cover the bottom. Add two teaspoons of the cream cheese filling. Top with 2 heaping tablespoons of batter and spread to cover.
Bake at 350ºF for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean of batter. Let cool before serving.
Hi I’m Cheri, I’ve been staying up too late reading since I was a kid hiding under the covers with a flashlight.