Grain Free Pumpkin Cream Cheese Streusel Muffins

It seems everything is coming up pumpkin right now. Pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin spice cheesecakes, pumpkin spice smoothies, pumpkin spice cookies and muffins…I could go on….and on…and on…!!! But, I guess it is the season, and... so as not to be left out, I came up with these beautiful muffins on the weekend. They are the perfect melding of warming spices, mixed with the smooth cream cheese and the delicious pumpkin, you will be tempted to eat more than one!

Don’t let the long list of ingredients deter you from giving these muffins a try!   I believe, of all the muffins I have made over the last few decades, these might now be my personal favourites!

For the pumpkin puree, you can either cook a pie pumpkin (see my easy Crockpot cooking method at the bottom of my Pumpkin Bar Recipe) and use one cup of that,(freeze the rest!) or purchase a good quality organic puree (not a pie filling!)

Grain Free Pumpkin Cream Cheese Streusel Muffins

Cream Cheese Filling:

1 cup cream cheese, room temp

1 tbsp honey

1 egg

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Muffin Batter:

½ cup coconut flour

1/3 cup arrowroot flour/starch

2 tbsp chickpea flour

½ cup coconut sugar

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp cloves

1/8 tsp allspice

½ tsp freshly ground nutmeg

¾ tsp freshly grated ginger (use a kitchen rasp) or ½ tsp dried ginger

3 eggs

2 Tbsp coconut oil

1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumkin pie filling!)

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

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Streusel Topping:

½ cup chopped pecans

3 Tbsp coconut sugar

2 tsp arrowroot flour/starch

1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375F

Line a 12 section muffin tin with muffin papers or grease well.

Combine Cream Cheese filling ingredients together in your stand mixer or electric beaters until nice and smooth. Set aside.

Measure all muffin ingredients into a large mixing bowl and blend well with an immersion blender. Set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, measure the streusel topping ingredients and mix well. Set aside.

Divide batter evenly between the 12 sections of the muffin tray.  Using a Tbsp, nestle a scoop of the cream cheese mixture down into the center of each muffin, and continue, using up all of the cream cheese.

Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the tops of all of the muffins.

Bake in preheated oven for 23-25 minutes or until the cream cheese filing looks to be set.

Remove from oven, and let stand in the muffin tin for 5 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool the rest of the way.

Refrigerate any  leftover muffins for up to 3 days.